Frederick Douglass is essentially one of the more important influences in our nation’s history, especially around the mid-19th century. He became a free slave, was a strong figure during the abolitionist movement, and was known as a great writer. In “What to a Slave is the 4th of July”, Douglass states in his speech that he and fellow African-Americans cannot celebrate the independence of the United States, because the founding fathers of America stood for oppressive behaviors and slavery. Douglass’s experiences with slavery along with the causes of the civil war before 1850 particularly shapes the way Douglass felt about the state of our nation at the time of his speech, one that was concerned, but even optimistic in the direction the country was headed socially. 

Essentially, he claims that people on the 4th of July are celebrating hate and the difficult times in American history. During those times in the mid 19th century, America was a country of distress and there was not much to be proud, with extreme sectional and social divisions. On the other hand, the causes of the civil war are described to reflect the “face of a generation” as to what was occurring at the time. The Declaration of Independence, the document that represents our nation’s freedom, was not up for the interpretation of minorities. These significant parts of our nation’s history show that civil rights were not always present and have lacked since the beginning of the country. It also shows where Douglass comes from in his perspective.

The causes of the civil war are taught to be slavery, states rights, the abolitionist movement, etc. Sure, Douglass was apart of the abolitionist movement but his speech meant more than the causes he put forward; he wanted to talk about where terms had come to after the civil war and where we as a country stood celebrating the 4th. To him, it is up to the people of the country to determine where the country wants to be headed, no matter if the war changed anything politically or not. Social progress was a priority more than anything at the time for Douglass because he stated that; “There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour” (265). It was a common perception at the time that the war started because of a loss of American identity and culture. Not much was going on in American life because the war was on the back of people’s minds. The tensions created in this lost culture also were the cause of cities being destroyed. Douglass at the time of the speech believed that America did not deserve a culture with its political divide, but with time permitting, he believed that America could move on from the time of war and actually celebrate the 4th of July with a purpose to be proud of positive things in America. In order to get past that, there needed to be inclusion in America and the nation needed to get past sectionalism and the culture sectionalism created. Slavery and sectionalism go hand in hand with this time period, because the 18th and 19th century, the economic and social culture in the south was set around slavery and the adopted treatment of then Africans. That is why Douglass is reluctant to why America is so passionate about celebrating the holiday, basically calling them hypocrites for celebrating recent memory that was very cruel. The time of the speech was considered a lost era in American History, one that was said to be of a “blundering generation”. Douglass also questions the true meaning of the Declaration of Independence in relation to the holiday, since the principles of the document are said to represent the political freedom and natural justice of all Americans, but it was created and originally centered for the elite white male. To Douglass, the causes of the civil war along with political corruption are in the shadows of the 4th of July celebration at that time, and he cannot represent himself with that because he was on the wrong end of that spectrum.

Frederick Douglass experienced slavery in Maryland, a northern state, though where slavery was still relevant. He belonged to the plantation of Austin Gore, who was known to be one of the more cruel slave-owners of his area. Douglass first-handedly witnessed and received the lashings, screams, and dehumanizing treatment just like the slaves he mentions in his speech; the teenage crying while her mother was being assaulted. This shows the African-American cultural context of this time period. The rattling of the chains and the extreme labor was their culture.  And this shows what they all had in common; they didn’t want to belong to a nation of savages, where the prosperous Americans exploded fireworks with cheers of joy, celebrating as if slavery was unheard of. Douglass and the slaves who were in the same shoes as him couldn’t put together how America could be called a nation where it was a living hell for them. The only hope for their future was faith and the Republican Party that wanted to unify the country and fight the seceding states. There was hope since Abraham Lincoln was the president at the time that opposed slavery and sided with the north. Inclusion and acceptance in society for minorities was the goal, and Douglass knew it would take a matter of time for that to happen. 

The 4th of July in a sense is a mockery to the ideologies of America stands for, a nation for liberty and justice for all, but paying “cash for Negroes” was a terrible hypocrisy that existed at the time.  But, there was optimism in the Republican Party, and Douglass lets his beliefs come out in the speech. Douglass personifies America saying its greatest sin is slavery and believes that god can be the answers to the problems, even if his faith hasn’t been present his whole life. 

He knew it would take an extensive amount of time for change to be made. To prove his point, he states, “Standing with God and the crushed and the bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged…” (263). The church is signified and known as the cure to problems, especially in the American south of the 19th century. The problem though was many chose to believe that an anti-slavery movement meant anti-church. This shows that the culture in America let politics interfere with religion, and it looked like a disease. For changes to be made, Douglass not only needed the strength of god, but he even needed to be a leader and take action by saying the words not many have said in the past.

In “What to a slave is the 4th of July”, Frederick Douglass represents himself and his culture to point out that this holiday is one of hypocrisy. Douglass had personal experience with slavery and was apart of the abolitionist movement. The causes of the civil war and slavery in general shaped his true beliefs about the standing of the United States in the mid 1800’s. He believed that god could change this country but it was up to the people to make a difference in the society as well. A successful outcome Douglass would envision for future independence days would be one where all kinds of Americans would be included in the holiday with relevant reasons to celebrate. Overall, his wisdom is what distinguished him from other abolitionists of his time, and this is why he became a household icon in the 19th century. 
