LAD #16: 5th of July Speech

Summary:

• Frederick Douglass introduced the question, "what to a slave is the 4th of July?" in his "5th of July" speech. Speaking for his enfranchised brethren suffering from the practices of slavery down South, Douglass expresses his disdain for how Americans continue to celebrate independence and the supposed abolition of tyranny. All the while, slaves continued to be forgotten, and these people were the ones facing great injustice. Americans created a world where slaves were regarded as less than their fellow men-- by beating them, whipping them, burning them, tearing their families apart, starving them, and other terrible things. They solidified the idea that African Americans are not as valuable as white men. In the speech, Douglass reminds America that this prejudice is invalid and ridiculous, since blacks have had the same level of success as their white counterparts in many occupations. No other nation in history had made such noble claims for independence the way the United States did, so by continuing to treat slaves so unjustly, America has also committed the most hypocrisy. No other country allowed so much injustice as the freest and most independent America.