
In “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July” by Frederick Douglass, he spends a lot of time explaining why the Fourth of July did not signify the same freedom to enslaved African Americans that it did to white Americans. In the first few paragraphs, he seems nervous but as his speech carries on he becomes angry and defensive of his people because the Jim Crow laws have taken rights away from them. This paper focuses on how The Jim Crow Laws had a large impact on the writings, speeches and also court cases and rulings that took and went into place around the time Douglass gave his speech. 

About 55 years before Douglass’ speech Plessy v. Ferguson entered the courts. This was started when Homer Plessy, a man who was both black and white but under Louisiana state law he was considered black, refused to move to an all black car, otherwise known as a Jim Crow car, on the train breaking a Louisiana Law. This was taken to court arguing that Plessy’s constitutional rights were being broken because the train cars were separate but not equal. The court originally concluded in a 7-1 vote that his case did not conflict the 13th and 14th amendments and was just a distinction between white and black people. This ruling was not overturned until Brown v the Board entered the courts in 1952.

During the time Douglass gave his speech, all schools were segregated and followed the “separate but equal” rule. However separate, these schools were far from equal because the kids were not given the same type of education or books, etc. The Jim Crow Laws put this into place. Five months after Frederick Douglass gave his speech Brown v. the Board entered the courtrooms. Brown v. the Board was about a man, James, who fought for his daughter to be able to attend a school that provided a better education. At the time schools were segregated meaning that black students could not attend the same school as white students. White schools were provided with new textbooks, good education and a safe place to learn, whereas the schools for African Americans were the complete opposite. Two years after this court date entered the system it was ruled that schools would be integrated. This was one of the first steps taken to reverse the Jim Crow Laws and give equality and independence to African Americans. Nine African American students were given the opportunity to attend an all white school. Many of the white students unhappy parents protested this so the students had to be escorted out for the sake of their safety. Two days later these nine students completed their first full days attending a school providing them with a better education. 

Frederick Douglass’s speech was addressing blacks that did not have their independence, and hence that’s the reason their Fourth of July was not to be celebrated. Douglass gave his speech around the time that the Civil Rights Movement was taking place. The Civil Rights Movement happened in order to reverse the unfair Jim Crow Laws that people were forced to follow. These two court cases focused on one of the many rules black people were forced to follow, “separate but equal.” These rules were supposed to provide African Americans with separate but equal rights as white people meaning that although they were separate they were still given equal opportunities. In years prior and proceeding Douglass’s Speech, many people fought for their rights at American citizens in order to be treated equal. 

Douglass gave this speech because he felt that African Americans couldn’t celebrate the Fourth. The Fourth of July signified freedom, which is exactly what African Americans didn’t have. Jim Crow prevented African Americans from being treated equally and kept them from being able to have basic rights and freedoms. The Jim Crow Laws were the reason Douglass gave this speech and why these court cases were such big deals. This paper investigates how issues that are happening at the time influence speeches and writing.
