The speech, commonly republished as "What to a slave is the 4th of July?" or "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?", is an untitled speech originally given by Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852. He originally gave the speech to the Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, N.Y. The speech is over 2,500 words long.
Contents
While discussing the celebrations of the American Independence day the day before, the speech explores the constitutional and values-based arguments against the Slave trade within the United States. Douglass's main focus is on how positive statements of American values, such as liberty, citizenship and freedom, did not resonate with slaves and other African Americans because of the history associated with those concepts. Rhetoricians R.L. Heath and D. Waymer called this topic the "paradox of the positive" because it highlights how something positive and meant to be positive can also exclude individuals.
Legacy
In the United States, the speech is widely taught in history and English classes in high school and college. However, American studies professor Andrew S. Bibby argues that because many of the editions produced for educational use are abridged, they often misrepresent Douglass's original through omission or editorial focus.
Notable readings
The speech has been notably performed or read by a number of important figures, including: