
Literature can have more meaning than what meets the eye. Some pieces of literature have a lot of history that goes into the writing or delivery. Frederick Douglas’ speech, “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?”, is one of those pieces. Although the piece is self-explanatory, there is much more history that goes into the speech and knowing this history will help to provide a greater understanding as to why he wrote and delivered it. The two main focuses will be in the role and change of slavery and the new progressive and enlightened way of thinking Douglas demonstrates. 

Slavery has been present all throughout history. Slavery was run based on the economy. People owned slaves if it was profitable otherwise they had no reason to. This same was paralleled in America as it was hundreds and thousands of years before. What changed though? Even when slavery existed hundreds or thousands of years ago it was different. Slaves could own property, had some rights, and, in some cases, could own other slaves. In the United States during this time, slaves had no rights and were treated as subhuman, not that earlier in history slaves weren’t at the bottom either. The key to anti-slavery was the country across the sea, Britain. At one time, the British had the most power of the slave trade and slavery but “Their unexpected political conversion to anti-slavery in 1787–1833 proved to be a pivotal moment in the global history of slavery and abolition” (Quirk). 

Douglas gives this speech with an end goal hope in abolishing slavery in America. The slavery, he and others were subjected to, began in 1501. This was heightened by Britain’s involvement onwards with triangle trade, which involved West Africa, parts of the Americas, and west Europe (Quirk). The historical reason for Douglas writing unfortunately stems from the massive forced slavery propagated in the Americas. Most slavery occurred in America due to the colonies being controlled by European powers. The American Revolution changed the rulers of the colonies but slavery was at large and continued to be. In 1807, Britain’s Parliament outlawed the slave trade. This eventually carried to America. In his speech Douglas says, “in several states, this trade is a chief source of wealth. It is called (in contradistinction to the foreign slave-trade) “the internal slave trade” and goes on to say, “(the foreign slave trade) …has been denounced with burning words, from the high places of the nation, as an execrable traffic” (Douglas). The first part of the problem, the external slave trade, had come and gone by the time of Douglas speech. It set the ground for his speech because of one people being forced into slavery by another. 

Major changes began to occur throughout Britain from the years 1787-1833, which would be felt across the globe. This was the anti-slavery movement. It was started by Evangelists and religious on mostly moral grounds. It is to these religious Douglas might owe some thanks. Despite learning to read and write in America, it still wasn’t safe for him even in the north. After writing his first book, he could have been re-enslaved. That is, if not for being able to escape to Britain. 

Towards the end of Douglas’ speech he talks quite a lot about religion and its role. How the people he sees tend to act hypocritical. He says it is a religion “which divides mankind into 

two classes, tyrants and slaves; which says to the main in chains, stay there; and to the oppressor, oppress on” (Douglas). This is his experience and witness in America. There exists and idea that perhaps Douglas wanted people to be disturbed by this. His speech was set at exposing the wrongs and injustices in the system. He knew the power religion had. In Britain from the beginning of the anti-slavery movement it was present. If there was a movement as such to spread from Britain to the United States, then religion would also most likely once again play a role. 

On top of religion and its influence, there was the fact of urbanization. This collection of people became key to the anti-slavery movement because of the change in the way people interacted and viewed each other. This was movement of urbanization was assisted by the Industrial Revolution.  This was one of the major contributing factors to the eventual outlaw of slavery in Britain. Of course, there are connections to part of the United States as well. The north in the United States is the place Douglas goes to get away from slavery. The north will eventually be the side that represents the abolition of slavery in the Civil War. Despite this the United States still was behind the progress of Britain and Douglas is not completely free from slavery even in the north. This was why Douglas was distraught from slavery. Slavery reached far and wide in the United States and despite some states not allowing slavery the country was torn. Douglas gave his speech during a tearing issue to tell the unfair and unjust ways of America. 

The title of the speech, “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?”, gives great insight into Douglas’ thought of the United States. The United States was created when the colonies declared independence from Britain. The United States’ declaration of its independence was influenced greatly by Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. This and the actual American Revolution were against the rule of a monarchy and oppression. As Paine writes regarding the rule of kings and divine authority, “Did it ensure a race of good and wise men it would have the seal of divine authority, but as it opens a door to the FOOLISH, the WICKED, and the IMPROPER, it hath in it the nature of oppression” (Paine) he argues that Britain is planted with these monarchs and urges America to break free of the bonds with Britain. Douglas uses this in his speech connecting with the citizens of the free United States of the history behind America’s independence which they fondly celebrate. Then he says that he cannot share in the day because slavery still exists and slaves do not have the same freedoms as the white men. The reaction to the speech reflects the culture of the time, the outrage caused by it forcing Douglas to once again flee to Britain. Historically Douglas seems almost out of place or the first of the abolitionist movement. Douglas was instead drawing on knowledge and ideas set not too far before him and ones that already existed in Britain and were spreading throughout Europe.

Britain shaped the Douglas speech in numerous ways. Britain was partially the cause of the speech due to their initial ventures in the slave trade through the Americas and then the inverse when they outlawed slavery and the slave trade. Frederick Douglas spoke during a very complex time in history. He spoke at a time that many people nowadays can’t imagine existed. The role and change of slavery was the reason the speaker and speech happened in the first place and served as the epitome of evil in the speech. The new enlightened and equality based ways of thinking allowed Douglas to argue his beliefs for an end to slavery and oppression just as the American colonists did on July 4th 1776. 
