
A work of literature can be severely influenced by the time period in which it was written in. A Holocaust survivors personal account became popularized during the time when it was written, as people are more aware of the situation the writer was in. In this instance, the writing was drafted during times of oppression and discrimination against African Americans. The time period and historical contexts further the writing to become more relatable. In Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”, the hypocrisy of the Fourth of July is exposed in a meaningful speech. By understanding how the founders of this country treated African Americans while pleading for freedom and how little civil liberties African Americans were given during the 1850s, readers are able to further connect to Douglass’s speech as the society in which the speech was written in shapes the entire work to become more personal.

America’s Founding Fathers were, and still, are considered to be some of the greatest, most revolutionary men to have ever lived. Valiant men such as George Washington, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson created this nation based on values such as freedom and unity. Across the United States, memorials and paintings of these men can be found anywhere. Some believe that the Founding Fathers of America would be appalled if they witnessed how Americans were treating each other during times of African American oppression; however, this is not the case. The Founding Fathers, in fact, believed that African Americans were born inferior to whites. Even though they preached for universal freedoms, these men were firm supporters of slavery and attempted to delay the process of abolition, as finances were a higher priority. The Founding Fathers, according to Freehling, were entirely hypocritical. They would lash slaves but push for better treatment of people. They owned slaves but wanted equality for all. Douglass acknowledges the fact that the Founding Fathers were excellent leaders and diplomats; however, their morals were out of check. He questions why a slave would celebrate the Independence of America if the men who sought independence mistreated African Americans. The culture of the late 18th century to early 19th century explained in the article severely impacts Douglass’s essay, as readers are able to have a closer look at how the Founding Fathers treated slaves. Although Douglass mentions nothing about the treatment of slaves by the founders of the United States, Freehling’s writing certainly supports his ideas about how African American slaves should feel on Independence Day. At one point in Douglass’s speech he mentions the profits made due to the slave trade. Similarly, Freehling’s essay relates finances to the slave trade in a different context when he writes “the financial cost of abolition, heavy enough by itself, was made too staggering to bear by the Founding Fathers’ racism” (Freehling 83). Freehling furthers the idea in regards to finances by stating that if the Founding Fathers had abolished slavery earlier in the country’s history, money needed for reparations due to racist acts could have been allocated to different areas in need. Although Freehling’s article did not introduce any new ideas, it further developed Douglass’s speech as it informed readers how people, especially African Americans viewed the Founding Fathers once they were taken off of their pedestals. 

Obviously, during the times of slavery, African Americans were mistreated on a daily basis. In southern states, slaves were considered to be property with absolutely no rights. “Free blacks” in the north had more rights, but still very limited. In some cases, free blacks, if found in southern states, would be immediately captured and taken in as slaves. Throughout the entire nation, African Americans were being discriminated against. They had no say in government as they were unable to vote and would be physically harmed regularly. White mobs would infiltrate predominantly African American areas in the North and catch fire to everything in sight solely based on the color of their skin. Across the entire country segregation was evident. African Americans would not be able to use most public transportation, churches, and other public goods. Women slaves were being sexually abused and raped frequently. A famous slave account by Olaudah Equiano detailed that the “white people looked and acted, as I thought in so savage manner; for I have never seen among any people such instances of brutal cruelty” (“Work…”). Overall, the slaves during the 1850s lived in fear of their lives on a daily basis. When Frederick Douglass states that the Fourth of the July is not the same to African Americans as it is to whites, he questions why an African American would celebrate the freedom of America, if they aren’t free themselves. Frederick Douglass had every right to question the integrity of the Fourth of July as it would be celebrating the accomplishments of people who consistently oppressed his race, whites. Under the Declaration of Independence, all Americans were promised equal liberties, but that promise was not fulfilled as African Americans during the 1850s had little to no rights. In that case, Frederick Douglass’s argument that the Fourth of July to a slave is “a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim” proves to be viable (Douglass). Why would an African American slave be a proud member of a nation that has not granted them the freedoms they deserve? After realizing the extent of torture that these slaves had to endure during the 1850s, readers are able to relate to Frederick Douglass’s speech more because the it is more personal. Due to the fact that African American slaves were continually mistreated, they have every right to not respect a holiday that celebrates the achievements of men who were directly involved with slavery. Therefore, in Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July”, how slaves were treated during the 1850s puts readers of the speech into an African American slave’s shoes resulting in a much more relatable speech and closer look at how African Americans truly look at our nation’s Independence Day, the Fourth of July.

Altogether, Frederick Douglas’s speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”, like many other pieces of literature, was further developed through knowledge of the time period. The treatment of African American slaves by Founding Fathers of this nation, such as Thomas Jefferson, was, as stated before, not what was expected of such a man. Douglass does not mention the Founding Fathers in his speech, but to know that the men with the most power at the time housed slaves shows why African Americans cannot respect the Fourth of July. The way African Americans were treated in the 1850s as slaves was scarring. Women were used for sex and men for work. Again, Frederick Douglass expanded upon the lack of respect African Americans have for the Fourth of July, as they did not see the freedoms that were being celebrated in their lives. They were being chained up and treated as property, not living in the greatest country in the world with the most freedom. The combination of the hypocrisy of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the overall quality of life for slaves during the 1850s connects to Frederick Douglass’s speech as it provides background information to the hatred for whites from African Americans. To most, Independence Day is a time to celebrate the freedoms that America has thanks to determined men in our past, but to African Americans, like Frederick Douglass, the Fourth of July is a day in which the nation recognizes a nation who held an entire race oppressed for over two hundred years, and the hypocrisy hidden behind the accomplishments of those men.
