The movement in America during the 19th century to free slaves, known as the abolitionist movement, was an agenda lead by many different people yet varying in purpose. Fredrick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison as individuals lead a charge against the institution of slavery. This paper will discuss how Fredrick Douglass’s speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” is a clear example of a public relations tactic that was used by abolitionists. It was an impassioned, damning speech, as many of Douglass’s efforts to end slavery were. This paper will also highlight the various other public relations channels the abolitionist movement used to bolster their success. “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July” by Fredrick Douglass shows how the abolitionist movement engaged in clever public relations moves. Douglass through his speech and other abolitionists involved in the movement made strides in highlighting the evils of slavery because they introduced systems to publicly address the strengths of the abolitionist movement.

Before the Civil War, the topic of slavery was nearly an unscalable political wall in Congress, but not so much to the public. Tyler G. Page states in “Public relations tactics and methods in early 1800s America: An examination of an American anti-slavery movement” slavery had “Calling slavery a major political issue in early America would be a dramatic understatement. The issue was the proverbial elephant in the room in Congress from the Declaration of Independence until the secession of the confederate states” (2.2). It can be seen here that slavery was always a hot button issue within congress. Congress mostly saw slavery as ok where it existed and not ok where it did not. Other members found it to be morally wrong and wanted it to be abolished long before it did. In the north, movements against slavery formed and were seen as radical. These movements often handed out pamphlets in order to tell people about the wrongness of slavery. In order to combat these movements, southern states made laws banning pamphlets and allowing people to form groups like the ones that existed in the north. In the south, African American people were not allowed to be educated. The south also passed laws for when free African American people were coming into ports in the south, they were forced to remain on the boat until the boat left the south. The southern states did not want free men to be spreading influence on enslaved people in the south. 

In Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” the historical context is evident through the audience he is speaking to, through the fact he was one of very few black men who was literate, and through the careful wording of his speech. Douglass in many instances explains the difference between himself and the people he is speaking to. He, in a way, has to do this to make his point. Throughout the speech, he never speaks about America as his own nation. He always says “your nation” to show the inequality that exists between him and the people he is speaking to. The historical context contributes to this type of wording. It is impossible for Douglass to refer to America as his country when he has no way of knowing whether or not he will wake up the next day a free man or a slave. Douglass conducted his own movement against slavery, and this speech is an example of a public relations tactic he used to help him accomplish his goals. Speeches from key public figures, news papers, and using connections to gain funding and popularity were various public relations techniques used by various people and groups to push the anti-slavery agenda. The American Colonization Society is an example of a group which used all of these techniques to accomplish their goals. While the American Colonization Society and Fredrick Douglass did not use the same public relations module, they did both use a variety of public relations tactics to achieve. Douglass used his news paper The North Star to push his agenda, while the American Colonization Society used an in with the National Intelligencer to advertise their beliefs. This was a common practice to gain popularity since there was no national newspaper at the time. 

Douglass’s speech encompasses both both historical context and as well as the moral degradations of slavery as an institution. In Douglass’s speech, given on July 5th in 1852, he addresses white people at the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society. The fact that he is speaking exclusively to white people shows a sign of the times. Douglass continually highlights the parallels between the founding fathers and himself to make a point. Douglass states “The simple story of all that, 76 years ago, the people of this country were British subjects” (257). This is important, as Douglass is making the point that himself, currently, is no different from white Americans 76 years before. By saying this, he is urging the people of the country to point out and  realize what they have been doing since becoming a nation is wrong. Douglass is using an aspect of public relations tactics and impassioned rhetoric to deliver this message that normally would be very difficult to convey without a gathering like the one he had on this day. This is also a tactic being used by the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society. They have targeted a key public figure in Douglass to give a speech to a group of people hoping to convince others to back the abolitionist movement. Since Douglass is such a prominent figure in abolishing slavery at this time, this speech becomes instantly classic and goes a long way in their movement against oppression. In another instance, Douglass notes how America needs to learn from its short past, Douglass says “We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and to the future” (261). In this passage Douglass is making clear that the American people in power need to realize what they once were, realize what they are doing to an entire race of people now, and change it for the future generations. He is saying the people in power can learn from the past to rectify the moral mistake they are making now. Douglass is trying to reach them by connecting his current situation with their previous situation. 

In addition to Douglass’s use of public relations tactics, other organizations used similar ideas. Research conducted on the American Colonization Society shows how public relations tactics made them a somewhat successful organization against slavery. Public relations tactics were not really considered a thing until about 1900, which shows why many abolitionist groups, including Douglass were significant in not only helping defeat slavery, but create methods for generations to use in order to protest and push agendas. The Society pushed effortlessly for big name endorsements as can be seen when Page writes “Eager to associate the revered name of Washington with the movement, Caldwell persuaded Bushrod Washington, veteran Supreme Court Justice and present squire of Mount Vernon, to endorse colonization. He also approached the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the shrewd and worldly-wise Henry Clay… Key approached his old friend, John Randolph of Roanoke, who consented to attend the same conference. After several days of intensive canvassing, Finley, Key and Caldwell secured enough names to secure a meeting” (4.2). Essentially this quote shows how securing endorsements helped an organization gain legitimacy. In the case of Douglass, a whole group endorsed him by giving him the chance to preach his ideas to a large sum of people. Important people carry with them lots of followers and having been endorsed by big names, their organization gained more followers. By getting all of these people’s interest and approval, the American Colonization Society was able to gain a lot of momentum and be highly talked about movement. Douglass, in his speech, is essentially doing the same thing. He is speaking to these people trying to get the attention of the higher ups in America. The American Colonization Society, like Douglass, used many publications to their benefit. Pamphlets and journals were handed out to explain what they wanted to do with their movement and why it would be successful, a common tactic used during this time period. Douglass, wrote numerous journals on the abolishment of slavery. The ideas used by the American Colonization Society mirror those used by Douglass even though they were not necessarily on the same side. 

Douglass and the American Colonization Society are parallel through their use of public relations tactics to achieve their goals. In addition, both Douglass and the American Colonization Society were influential in nailing down the creation of public relations tactics. The American Colonization Society showed connections to public office and connections to public press can make a small idea gain a large following. Similarly, Douglass showed how public gatherings and press could make a name like his massive in the context of history. The abolitionist movement was one of the first times in American history where press and media became influential in public opinion. Fredrick Douglass could gather the attention of many and then publish a story about in his newspaper to catch the attention of many more. The American Colonization Society could meet with Senators who could speak about them publicly. Or they could write a journal and have the National Intelligencer publish it to further spread their ideas. 

All in all, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” by Fredrick Douglass highlights what was wrong with America prior to the Civil War. This story also is a great example of how public relations tactics were used during this time period to fuel the abolitionist movement. The public relations tactics used during the time have become an integral part of our political society today and are used all the time, especially when candidates are vying for presidency. The speech by Douglass also contains important substance. Substance that is still relevant today. For instance, Douglass talks about remembering our past in order to move forward and not regress. Today more than ever this is an important concept to grasp, especially with some of the people that will be leading our country in the near future. It is also important to understand why we see the things we see on television or in our news papers. Lots of it comes from the work people like Fredrick Douglass and groups like the American Colonization Society did. Douglass influenced public relations tactics during the abolitionist movement because he was able to form a new way to achieve a political goal.
