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What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? (1852) is a speech by Frederick Douglass. Having escaped from slavery in the South at a young age, Frederick Douglass became a prominent orator and autobiographer who spearheaded the American abolitionist movement in the mid-nineteenth century. In this famous speech, published widely in pamphlet form after it was given to a meeting of the Rochester Ladies� Anti-Slavery Society on July 5th, 1852, Douglass exposes the hypocrisy of America’s claim to Christian and democratic ideals in spite of its legacy of enslavement. Personal and political, Douglass� speech helped inspire the burgeoning abolitionist movement, which fought tirelessly for emancipation in the decades leading up to the American Civil War. “What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?...What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.”� Drawing upon his own experiences as an escaped slave, Douglass offers a critique of American independence from the perspective of those who had never been free within its borders. Hopeful and courageous, Douglass� voice remains an essential part of our history, reminding us time and again who we are, who we have been, and what we can be as a nation. While much of his radical message has been smoothed over through the passage of time, its revolutionary truth continues to resonate today. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Frederick Douglass� What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.
30 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 1852
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About the author
Frederick Douglass
912books1,568followersFrederick Douglass (né Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey) was born a slave in the state of Maryland in 1818. After his escape from slavery, Douglass became a renowned abolitionist, editor and feminist. Having escaped from slavery at age 20, he took the name Frederick Douglass for himself and became an advocate of abolition. Douglass traveled widely, and often perilously, to lecture against slavery.
His first of three autobiographies, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, was published in 1845. In 1847 he moved to Rochester, New York, and started working with fellow abolitionist Martin R. Delany to publish a weekly anti-slavery newspaper, North Star. Douglass was the only man to speak in favor of Elizabeth Cady Stanton's controversial plank of woman suffrage at the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. As a signer of the Declaration of Sentiments, Douglass also promoted woman suffrage in his North Star. Douglass and Stanton remained lifelong friends.
In 1870 Douglass launched The New National Era out of Washington, D.C. He was nominated for vice-president by the Equal Rights Party to run with Victoria Woodhull as presidential candidate in 1872. He became U.S. marshal of the District of Columbia in 1877, and was later appointed minister resident and consul-general to Haiti. His District of Columbia home is a national historic site. D. 1895.
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His first of three autobiographies, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, was published in 1845. In 1847 he moved to Rochester, New York, and started working with fellow abolitionist Martin R. Delany to publish a weekly anti-slavery newspaper, North Star. Douglass was the only man to speak in favor of Elizabeth Cady Stanton's controversial plank of woman suffrage at the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. As a signer of the Declaration of Sentiments, Douglass also promoted woman suffrage in his North Star. Douglass and Stanton remained lifelong friends.
In 1870 Douglass launched The New National Era out of Washington, D.C. He was nominated for vice-president by the Equal Rights Party to run with Victoria Woodhull as presidential candidate in 1872. He became U.S. marshal of the District of Columbia in 1877, and was later appointed minister resident and consul-general to Haiti. His District of Columbia home is a national historic site. D. 1895.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
December 29, 2023
A brilliant essay on the hypocrisy of this celebration when 3 million of the country's inhabitants were enslaved, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July, is bold and unsparing. He delivered this speech on July 5, 1852, nine years before the Civil War began. He called out our peculiar brand of democracy and also our religious leaders, who for the most part agreed that slavery was sanctioned in the Bible.
There were brave men and women who exposed the false creed of a type of Christianity and democracy that would allow men to own other men, women, and children and to torture, rape and kill them without any repercussions. Those were the exception and not the rule
Thank goodness for the decency of those men, like Abraham Lincoln, who appealed to the better angels of our nature. We would have to fight a bloody war to see slavery abolished.
There were brave men and women who exposed the false creed of a type of Christianity and democracy that would allow men to own other men, women, and children and to torture, rape and kill them without any repercussions. Those were the exception and not the rule
Thank goodness for the decency of those men, like Abraham Lincoln, who appealed to the better angels of our nature. We would have to fight a bloody war to see slavery abolished.
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January 15, 2022“That which is inhuman cannot be divine.�
July 6, 2020
Rereading "What To the Slave Is the Fourth of July" once again and the words continue to stay in my head. And to listen to his descendants are just as powerful...
What a powerful and moving speech that is still applicable in the 21st century. Please read "What to The Slave is the Fourth of July" and understand why the words are so moving and relates to BLM and why equality for all, not just the few!
"The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. � The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day?"
“The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretence, and your Christianity as a lie.� ~Frederick Douglass
5 noteworthy stars!
What a powerful and moving speech that is still applicable in the 21st century. Please read "What to The Slave is the Fourth of July" and understand why the words are so moving and relates to BLM and why equality for all, not just the few!
"The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. � The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day?"
“The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretence, and your Christianity as a lie.� ~Frederick Douglass
5 noteworthy stars!
July 3, 2016
Such a poignant assemblage of words from a singularly exceptional man.
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July 5, 2023Honestly, soooooo much of what he said in 1852 still holds true today. He was incredibly insightful about American Christianity, republicans, and the general hypocrisy of the country. He ended on a hopeful note but did not apologize for the scathing and severe read he performed on the US. I’d say this should be read in schools but where I am (Texas), that’d be highly unlikely.
July 4, 2022
Great read that aged so well. It is alarming that I relate so clearly to a speech that was delivered 170 years ago. I find myself feeling a weird mix of pride and pain on the 4th of July. Douglas clearly explains my feelings 141 years before I existed by answering the question “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.�
But HBD America…the grilling, day off from work, and fireworks are nice.
But HBD America…the grilling, day off from work, and fireworks are nice.
November 26, 2017
Powerful moral argument. Great example of how to give a political address that simultaneously flatters and challenges one's audience. I read a PDF of the original 1852 edition, c/o the University of Rochester's Frederick Douglass Project: .
January 4, 2019
Douglass' rousing, provocative abolitionist speech is breathtaking in the clarity of its vision and the force of its expression.
April 13, 2024
YO! This was amazing. Everyone needs to hear/read this if haven't already!
Fredrick calling out the American government BUT ESPECIALLY the American church for its hypocrisy and the oppression it is doing to its citizens of African descent is just so freaking good. He declares appalling in their faces, as he tells them that the celebration of this nation is freedom for the white majority but subjugation and violence for his people.
"You profess to believe "that, of one blood, God made all nations of men to dwell on the face of all the earth," and hath commanded all men, everywhere, to love one another; yet you notoriously hate (and glory in your hatred) all men whose skins are not colored like your own."
Fredrick mentions, "Notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented, of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country." If the God in which the church does serve is one of liberation and the constitution that America celebrates is indeed one of freedom, justice, and liberation for all. And that all men are created equal, then he has hope.
It's crazy still to feel the same sort of anger, sadness, and hope that Fredrick felt years ago in my current relationship with the church and this country.
Reading this speech made me think of the litany of suffering that connects brown, black, and other POC folks, and how the same things our ancestors were declaring are the same things we still are saying now.
What a great reminder though that the God whom my ancestors saw as liberation, hope, and joy...is not the same God that is worshiped in the pulpits that preach hate, greed, and power.
This too reminds me that I have a choice to be an ambassador of love and who chooses to be with (as well as sacrifice on behalf of) the sick, the vulnerable, the weak, and the ones that are pushed to the margins.
Let this not just be a reminder or something that sounds good to the ear, but something that drives us into action.
"God speed the year of jubilee
The wide world o'er!
When from their galling chains set free,
Th' oppress'd shall vilely bend the knee,
And wear the yoke of tyranny
Like brutes no more.
That year will come, and freedom's reign.
To man his plundered rights again
Restore.
God speed the day when human blood
Shall cease to flow!
In every clime be understood,
The claims of human brotherhood,
And each return for evil, good,
Not blow for blow;
That day will come all feuds to end,
And change into a faithful friend
Each foe."
- William Lloyd Garrison
Fredrick calling out the American government BUT ESPECIALLY the American church for its hypocrisy and the oppression it is doing to its citizens of African descent is just so freaking good. He declares appalling in their faces, as he tells them that the celebration of this nation is freedom for the white majority but subjugation and violence for his people.
"You profess to believe "that, of one blood, God made all nations of men to dwell on the face of all the earth," and hath commanded all men, everywhere, to love one another; yet you notoriously hate (and glory in your hatred) all men whose skins are not colored like your own."
Fredrick mentions, "Notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented, of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country." If the God in which the church does serve is one of liberation and the constitution that America celebrates is indeed one of freedom, justice, and liberation for all. And that all men are created equal, then he has hope.
It's crazy still to feel the same sort of anger, sadness, and hope that Fredrick felt years ago in my current relationship with the church and this country.
Reading this speech made me think of the litany of suffering that connects brown, black, and other POC folks, and how the same things our ancestors were declaring are the same things we still are saying now.
What a great reminder though that the God whom my ancestors saw as liberation, hope, and joy...is not the same God that is worshiped in the pulpits that preach hate, greed, and power.
This too reminds me that I have a choice to be an ambassador of love and who chooses to be with (as well as sacrifice on behalf of) the sick, the vulnerable, the weak, and the ones that are pushed to the margins.
Let this not just be a reminder or something that sounds good to the ear, but something that drives us into action.
"God speed the year of jubilee
The wide world o'er!
When from their galling chains set free,
Th' oppress'd shall vilely bend the knee,
And wear the yoke of tyranny
Like brutes no more.
That year will come, and freedom's reign.
To man his plundered rights again
Restore.
God speed the day when human blood
Shall cease to flow!
In every clime be understood,
The claims of human brotherhood,
And each return for evil, good,
Not blow for blow;
That day will come all feuds to end,
And change into a faithful friend
Each foe."
- William Lloyd Garrison
February 19, 2025
There is nothing intelligent I can say about Douglas's plea for abolition other than how it struck me to my core. Instead of my own ramblings, here are some quotes that stuck out to me:
"I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn."
"The fact that the church of our country, (with fractional exceptions,) does not esteem “the Fugitive Slave Law� as a declaration of war against religious liberty, implies that that church regards religion simply as a form of worship, an empty ceremony, and not a vital principle, requiring active benevolence, justice, love and good will towards man.... The Bible addresses all such persons as 'scribes, pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith.'"
"There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven, that does not know that slavery is wrong for him."
"The fact that the church of our country, (with fractional exceptions,) does not esteem “the Fugitive Slave Law� as a declaration of war against religious liberty, implies that that church regards religion simply as a form of worship, an empty ceremony, and not a vital principle, requiring active benevolence, justice, love and good will towards man.... The Bible addresses all such persons as 'scribes, pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith.'"
"That which is inhuman cannot be divine."
"I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn."
"The fact that the church of our country, (with fractional exceptions,) does not esteem “the Fugitive Slave Law� as a declaration of war against religious liberty, implies that that church regards religion simply as a form of worship, an empty ceremony, and not a vital principle, requiring active benevolence, justice, love and good will towards man.... The Bible addresses all such persons as 'scribes, pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith.'"
"There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven, that does not know that slavery is wrong for him."
"The fact that the church of our country, (with fractional exceptions,) does not esteem “the Fugitive Slave Law� as a declaration of war against religious liberty, implies that that church regards religion simply as a form of worship, an empty ceremony, and not a vital principle, requiring active benevolence, justice, love and good will towards man.... The Bible addresses all such persons as 'scribes, pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith.'"
"That which is inhuman cannot be divine."
July 5, 2024
The Fourth of July is a complicated holiday for many Americans. When you're Black and gay like me, living during this period of partisan divide, this holiday brings out warring emotions. Do I celebrate or protest? Patriotism and dissent go hand in hand, I think. You need one to temper the other. Reading this slim book each year on July 4 puts lots of things into perspective for me. Not only does it excoriate the United States' inescapable past, which includes enslavement, genocide, colonization and myriad other atrocities, it highlights the problem of intersectionality. Douglass' words are timeless.
February 2, 2024
Surprisingly, almost everything still resonates with today. The oppression and racism are pretty much the same, if not worse. Slavery has indeed lost its physical dimension, but the intellectual mindset still has the upper hand. I loved the way he organized his speech, his creative figures of speech, the use of rhetorical questions, the stark language and cornering his audiences to face the reality of the situation.
July 4, 2018
Delivered on July 5, 1852.
"At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could I reach the nation’s ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced."
To think that Douglas was anything short of brilliant would be simply ridiculous. He displays compelling oratory and an inate ability to engage people's affections.
While Douglass's speech was especially important in its antebellum context, it remains powerful and applicable in many ways to this day. At the very least, it offers a helpful dose of perspective for an age where anything other than an explicit fawning over both the founding and current state of our nation is viewed as unpatriotic, if not treacherous.
"At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could I reach the nation’s ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced."
To think that Douglas was anything short of brilliant would be simply ridiculous. He displays compelling oratory and an inate ability to engage people's affections.
While Douglass's speech was especially important in its antebellum context, it remains powerful and applicable in many ways to this day. At the very least, it offers a helpful dose of perspective for an age where anything other than an explicit fawning over both the founding and current state of our nation is viewed as unpatriotic, if not treacherous.
July 6, 2023
It’s always good to rebuke self-congratulatory nationalism and moral hypocrisy.
April 17, 2008
This speech is evidence to the power of words that Frederick Douglass possessed. He is a very motivational speaker. I find myself ashamed that my country would inflict such injustices to those of a different race. His use of scriptures and famous quotations is remarkable, for a man who didn't have many opportunities for formal education. The context in which the scriptures are used is a very forceful tool for his argument.
July 4, 2021
Powerful, poignant, and pressing. This should be read by every American citizen, at every parade, picnic, and fireworks display on the fourth of July.
Read it here:
Listen to Douglass' descendants read excerpts here:
Read it here:
Listen to Douglass' descendants read excerpts here:
September 9, 2019
I thought his denunciation of so-called Christian leaders and congregants for their support of slavery was both brave and right on. And the fact that he defended authentic Christianity made his point even more powerful. As did Christ in his condemnation of scribes and pharisees, Douglass denounced the so-called Christian hypocrisy in vivid terms. It was quite a speech!
April 23, 2019
Wow wow wow. Completely demolished America in the time of slavery, but also mentioned things that are still applicable today. I was crying in the university canteen, which no other book has ever made me do, let alone a speech from the 19th century
September 25, 2011
Douglass is a master of the persuasive English language.
December 9, 2018
One of the best uses of rhetoric, and all for such an important cause.
February 21, 2019
Powerful. Punchy. Persuasive. Prophetic.
October 23, 2024
Read this speech in the context of discussing uncomfortable and imprecatory literature. Like Psalm 137 exclaiming to bless those who seize the enemy’s baby to violate them “against the rocks,� Douglass� writing holds nothing back in its raw emotions.
How does one wrestle with such (just?) anger in the context of lament? How far can the raging depths go before it is not okay? These are hard questions this condemning speech makes hard to sit with. Without answers, the anathema daunts the sacred space in which injustice inhabits, regardless of sure hope that it turns righteous.
“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.�
How does one wrestle with such (just?) anger in the context of lament? How far can the raging depths go before it is not okay? These are hard questions this condemning speech makes hard to sit with. Without answers, the anathema daunts the sacred space in which injustice inhabits, regardless of sure hope that it turns righteous.
“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.�
August 31, 2023
Douglas states the answer in no uncertain terms;
What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy � a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour.
What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy � a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour.
September 7, 2024
This incredible speech was delivered during the 1850s after the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act. Frederick Douglass confronts the hypocrisy of our great freedom while millions are held as slaves. It is prophetic in the indictment of white Christians and churches that are not appalled by the sin and the attempt to use scripture to condone this sin. He reminded the listener how different this is from those believers in England like Wilberforce and Clarkson who fought to end slavery. I find it interesting that in less than 10 years, the Civil War would begin, and for over 100, the consequences of slavery would continue. Highly recommended and worth reading.
September 28, 2021
Utterly heartbreaking and beautifully expressed, Douglass� speech is a very important read that should be just as widely read as the Declaration itself. Thoroughly enjoyed studying this for my American Lit module.
- 5 stars
- 5 stars
July 4, 2024
Precise and to the point. 172 years later and it is still as relevant and prophetic in 21st century America. It reads as an oracle of a prophet, bellowed from the voice of a man standing with his backbone erect. It is a much needed read for everyone
December 22, 2021
Brilliant writing and rhetoric!
Want to read
December 18, 2022Frederick Douglass's expressions are some of the most powerful, piercing words I have ever heard. He's speeches seem like they were written just yesterday for today.
June 22, 2023
This is still powerful, relevant, and convicting. Should be required reading for all Americans.
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