4th of July Speech - Frederick Douglass

July 4, 2023 8:34 AM

An often overlooked insight on this "holiday."
posted by Scout405 (11 comments total)

And here's a link to a performance of the speech
posted by Scout405 at 8:36 AM on July 4, 2023 [2 favorites]

What a powerful speech and a good reminder of our terrible hypocrisy as a nation. Well worth the read. Thank you for sharing.
posted by agatha_magatha at 10:27 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

I spent some time with the speech this morning.

With Douglass, I'm often drawn to his attention to the disruption needed for social upheaval that moves us toward justice, such as the "power concedes nothing without a demand" passage in the West India Emancipation speech, and his answer to those who critique his confrontational approach in this speech:

But I fancy I hear some one of my audience say, it is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more, and denounce less, would you persuade more, and rebuke less, your cause would be much more likely to succeed. But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued....

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;

posted by audi alteram partem at 11:02 AM on July 4, 2023 [12 favorites]

O! To live in a time when politicians spoke like that!
posted by chavenet at 11:20 AM on July 4, 2023 [3 favorites]

Every time I read Douglass's words, I want to weep, for the years we've overlooked his words, for our participation in celebration while choosing to ignore the hypocrisy. I don't have a problem celebrating the Fourth at all. Just tell the whole story.
posted by etaoin at 12:31 PM on July 4, 2023 [8 favorites]

These comments are everything! And I hope there will be more :) Thank you, mefites, for being a community that gives me hope and reminds me that there is much good in the world.
posted by Scout405 at 12:54 PM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

‘What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?’: Descendants Read Frederick Douglass' Speech
posted by kirkaracha at 4:34 PM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

I've often seen bits of this speech quoted - and the bits pulled forward are usually the parts that point out the irony of celebrating freedom while slavery persists. Reading the whole thing I'm frankly surprised at how much hope there is in it. Amidst his very persuasive and well deserved condemnation, there's also the idea that the country is still young and can, perhaps, improve. I wonder if, were he able to see the short distance we've traveled since this speech was delivered, he would still have that hope. Still, though, it's encouraging to find it there, and a good reminder to continue seeking out reasons for hope in the middle of our current political reality.
posted by cubby at 6:38 PM on July 4, 2023 [2 favorites]

“I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”

— James Baldwin, “Notes of a Native Son”
posted by kirkaracha at 7:05 PM on July 4, 2023 [10 favorites]

Can We Love a Country Even When It Falls Short?

This is a difficult time in America. From mass shootings, to the fall of Roe v. Wade, to the persistent denial of the need to do something about clear injustices such as racism and homophobia, our country’s faults are on full display.

These faults make it easy to feel like America is disappointing, failing. This creates challenges for our observance of Independence Day, which is supposed to be a celebration of this country. How, we may ask, can we celebrate something that has fallen so short? Is the Fourth of July just empty jingoism? How can we embrace fireworks and parties with so much going wrong with the object of these festivities? Today’s Note is an attempt to organize my thoughts about these difficult questions.

posted by kirkaracha at 7:06 PM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

i don't think there has ever been a better speech--& i include MLK's.
posted by graywyvern at 8:20 AM on July 5, 2023 [1 favorite]