Frederick Douglas was born a slave in Talbot County, Maryland and was able to successfully escape to New York. There he became involved in the abolitionist movement and worked as a traveling lecturer for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. On July 5, 1852 Douglas gave a speech referred to as “What to the slave is the fourth of July?”, to the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. It was one of the most dazzling condemnations of slavery in U.S history. Also, in Douglas’ speech he mentions the slaves’ lack of manhood and. By putting Douglas’ main arguments into historical context, one is able to understand the significance of the speech.  In American Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses, Theodore Dwight Weld includes firsthand testimonies that give a cultural background to the same time period to which Douglas gave his speech. Similarily, Robert Pierce Forbes gives insight on the impact of the Missouri Compromise on slavery during this time period, in The Missouri Compromise and It’s Aftermath: Slavery and the Meaning of America. Elements in both of Weld and Forbes’ texts help us to better understand the culture that surrounded Douglas’ speech in 1852. 

Douglas draws a parallel in the speech from the American crusaders who fought for their independence from Britain; and the abolitionists who were fighting for anti-slavery in the U.S. The author highlights these two groups of rebellions to show that since neither of them agreed with society’s rules at one point, maybe the abolitionists are right in their beliefs as well. Douglas expresses this idea by explaining, “To say now that America was right, and England wrong, is exceedingly easy…It is fashionable to do so; but there was a time when to pronounce against England, and in favor of the cause of the colonies, tried men’s souls” (257) This quote supports the fact that although the abolitionists are looked at as rebels now, in the future they will be deemed revolutionaries in history. 

A major focus point of the speech is the fact that although the fourth of July is a day of celebration of freedom; there are some who are still shackled by oppression. Douglas explains this by saying, “Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the old world… and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival” (265). This quote shows that in reality America isn’t really a free nation because millions of slaves are not shown an ounce of free will. This concept also answers the title of the piece because to a slave the fourth of July is just another day. They are still being held against their will and treated like animals, thus celebrating a day of freedom is ridiculous to them. Weld shows the terrible lifestyle slaves are forced into when he says“ ‘By confining the slaves to the Southern states, where crops are raised for exportation, and bread and meat are purchased, you doom them to scarcity and hunger’ ” (71). This piece of information gives the reader a more in depth look at the mistreatment of Africans in America as mentioned in Douglas’ speech. 

Douglas expands on the idea that American ideology is hypocritical due to the fact that not everyone is offered the same rights and freedom. The author supports this concept by pointing out that the Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal; thus, proving the point that slaves are considered not even human if they are being condemned to slavery. Forbes highlights the negative impact slavery has on America’s character by saying,” By such standards, the greatest threat to American character was slavery- an assertion by no less an authority than Thomas Jefferson” (54). Also, this quotes supports Douglas’ point that although the fourth of July is a day of celebration, America has not fully won the battle for freedom yet.

The historical context provided by Welds and Forbes allows the reader to better understand the cruelty of slavery and further supports Douglass’ claim. Although Douglass spends the majority of his speech criticizing the ideology of America, he concludes with the hope for anti-slavery sentiments. Weld and Forbes’ pieces both highlight the cruelty and negative impacts of slavery in America which teaches the reader that we must learn from our past mistakes in order to prosper.  Douglass’ speech ends with a poem called, “The Triumph of Freedom” which points out that the abolitionists will continue to fight for freedom and positive change is inevitable. 
