July 2025 (Harlem, NY) … On the Fourth of July, millions of Americans will enjoy grilled burgers, hot dogs, corn-on-the-cob, and apple pie at backyard cookouts. Later in the evening, celebratory fireworks will light up the skies across the nation. America is commemorating the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. The British boot had finally been taken off the necks of the American colonists. They were celebrating freedom from British rule, tyranny, and oppression.
WHAT TO THE SLAVE…
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered his Independence Day address before the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, New York. In what was to become one of his most famous speeches, Douglass asked the assembly, “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?” He lamented that Independence Day wasn’t a day of celebration for enslaved people. The major theme of his speech was how America was not living up to its proclaimed beliefs. Douglass noted “how Americans are proud of their country and their religion and how they rejoice in the name of freedom and liberty, and yet, they do not offer those things to millions of their country’s residents.”
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland on February 18, 1818, and suffered all the indignities of an enslaved person before escaping in 1838. His speeches were a testament to the evils of slavery and the redemptive power of freedom. The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery Face-to-Face Blog states, “Douglass became a powerful witness for abolitionism, speaking, writing, and organizing on behalf of the movement. Douglass’s charisma derived from his ability to present himself as the author of his own destiny at a time when white America could barely conceive of the black man as a thinking and feeling human being.”
Right is of no Sex—Truth is of no Color—God is the Father of us all, and all we are Brethren.
In 1847, Frederick Douglass and abolitionist Martin Delany founded The North Star, a nineteenth-century anti-slavery newspaper. First published on December 3, 1847, using funds Douglass earned during a speaking tour in Great Britain and Ireland, The North Star soon developed into one of the most influential African American antislavery publications of the pre-Civil War era. The name of the newspaper paid homage to the fact that escaping slaves used the North Star in the night sky to guide them to freedom. It was published in Rochester, New York, a city known for its opposition to slavery. The motto of the newspaper was, “Right is of no sex—Truth is of no color—God is the Father of us all, and we are brethren.”
While the institution of slavery has “legally” been abolished and the physical chains have been removed, one might ask the same question in 2025 that Frederick Douglass asked in 1852: “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?” Black and Brown people (and other marginalized populations) are still being oppressed and subjected to second-class citizenship status. Sadly, there is a large segment of the population that still cannot “conceive of the black man as a thinking and feeling human being.” The Civil Rights Movement aimed to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement in the United States, particularly for African Americans. The movement achieved many of its legislative goals in the 1960s, during which it secured new protections in federal law for the civil rights of all Americans.
The struggle, however, continues. Project 2025, the brainchild of The Heritage Foundation, * has had a major influence on the present administration and is largely responsible for the culture war that has been dividing the country. Project 2025 calls for, inter alia, abolishing the teaching of critical race theory, gender ideology in public schools, and “deleting” terms such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), gender equity, and reproductive health from every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, and piece of legislation that exists. Many of Project 2025’s policies now serve as a guideline for corporate America, especially concerning hiring practices.
Adding insult to injury, CBS News recently reported that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is looking into changing the names of naval ships named after prominent civil rights leaders and icons, including Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Harriet Tubman, Cesar Chavez, and Medgar Evers.
The Fourth of July is a reminder that the freedom America won by the signing of the Declaration of Independence did not extend to the enslaved population. It is a reminder that the forefathers of this country did not offer, as Douglass said in his 1852 speech, “freedom and liberty” to the millions of enslaved people in the country. We know, however, that our Heavenly Father watches over us and continues to provide. We have made progress, but we still have a long way to go. God made us strong, resilient, and resourceful. To use the lyrics from James Cleveland’s song. I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired, “I don’t believe He brought me this far to leave me.”
So, let’s enjoy the cookouts with family and friends on the 4th. FYI – Before the tariffs kick in, savvy consumers can save on everything from home appliances to summer clothing to automobiles during Fourth of July door-busting sales.
Side Note: Read Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech in its entirety.
Historical Note: By remarkable coincidence, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the only two signatories of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as presidents of the United States, both died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.
*The Heritage Foundation, founded in 1973 by Joseph Coors (Coors Brewery), is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, whose policies were informed by Heritage’s policy study, “Mandate for Leadership.” Heritage has since continued to influence U.S. public policymaking significantly and is considered one of the most influential conservative research organizations in the United States.
Reference Sources: Google, Wikipedia, Britannica, Smithsonian National Gallery Portrait of Frederick Douglass; “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?”
