frederick douglass speech transcript

That, which is inhuman cannot be divine. Frederick Douglass: (10:31) The most accurate AI-powered transcription on the market. But the church of this country is not only indifferent to the wrongs of the slave, it actually takes sides with the oppressors. A speech given at Rochester, New York, July 5, 1852 . The fiat of the Almighty, Let there be Light, has not yet spent its force. Friends and citizens, I need not enter further into the causes which led to this anniversary. They were not the men to look back. Morel is right that the 1876 speech by Frederick Douglass is remarkable and masterful. This celebration also marks the beginning of another year of your national life; and reminds you that the Republic of America is now 76 years old. Behold the practical operation of this internal slave-trade, the American slave-trade, sustained by American politics and America religion. They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory. They seized upon eternal principles, and set a glorious example in their defense. WebCelebrating 200 years of Frederick Douglass. Americans! At a time like this, scorching irony not convincing argument is needed. Ex-Senator Benton tells us that the price of men was never higher than now. Great streams are not easily turned from channels, worn deep in the course of ages. The fact is, ladies and gentlemen, the distance between this platform and the slave plantation, from which I escaped, is considerable and the difficulties to be overcome in getting from the latter to the former, are by no means slight. The accepted time with God and his cause is the ever-living now. The arm of the Lord is not shortened, and the doom of slavery is certain. Is slavery among them? Fair use is permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. I shall see, this day, and its popular characteristics, from the slaves point of view. They loved their country better than their own private interests; and, though this is not the highest form of human excellence, all will concede that it is a rare virtue, and that when it is exhibited, it ought to command respect. There is blasphemy in the thought. we wept when we remembered Zion. Frederick Douglass: (00:26) The flesh-mongers gather up their victims by dozens, and drive them, chained, to the general depot at Baltimore. Your fathers were wise men, and if they did not go mad, they became restive under this treatment. Your President, your Secretary of State, ourlords,nobles, and ecclesiastics, enforce, as a duty you owe to your free and glorious country, and to your God, that you do this accursed thing. On July 5, 1852, eminent African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass delivered a brilliant speech to nearly six hundred people filling Rochester, New Yorks Corinthian Hall, as organized by the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Sewing Society. Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. Its future might be shrouded in gloom, and the hope of its prophets go out in sorrow. Its quite a remarkable speech as Douglass in a way reenacts his own journey in appreciation for the work that Lincoln did, not just for blacks, but for whites in this country. The Best Speech-to-Text Solution for Your Business Learn how Rev fits into your businesses workflow. You can bare your bosom to the storm of British artillery to throw off a threepenny tax on tea; and yet wring the last hard-earned farthing from the grasp of the black laborers of your country. Here you will see men and women reared like swine for the market. For there, they that carried us away captive, required of us a song; and they who wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. Standing, there, identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July! O! As noted here, that banquet was attended by prominent African-American professional men in celebration of the twenty-first anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.After the toast provided by former Senator Blanche K. Bruce, The freedom gained is yours; and you, therefore, may properly celebrate this anniversary. They were peace men; but they preferred revolution to peaceful submission to bondage. You declare, before the world, and are understood by the world to declare, that you hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal; and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; and that, among these are, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and yet, you hold securely, in a bondage which, according to your own Thomas Jefferson, is worse than ages of that which your fathers rose in rebellion to oppose, aseventh partof the inhabitants of your country. Web" was a speech delivered by Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852, at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York, at a meeting organized by the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Heat and sorrow have nearly consumed their strength; suddenly you hear a quick snap, like the discharge of a rifle; the fetters clank, and the chain rattles simultaneously; your ears are saluted with a scream, that seems to have torn its way to the center of your soul! These ministers make religion a cold and flinty-hearted thing, having neither principles of right action, nor bowels of compassion. In a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak. But a still more inhuman, disgraceful, and scandalous state of things remains to be presented. For the present, it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. You will see one of these human flesh-jobbers, armed with pistol, whip and bowie-knife, driving a company of a hundred men, women, and children, from the Potomac to the slave market at New Orleans. Washington could not die till he had broken the chains of his slaves. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery the great sin and shame of America! Banners and pennants wave exultingly on the breeze. Where these go, may also go the merciless slave-hunter. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The causes which led to the separation of the colonies from the British crown have never lacked for a tongue. Africa must rise and put on her yet unwoven garment. While drawing encouragement from the Declaration of Independence, the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age. Everybody can say it; the dastard, not less than the noble brave, can flippantly discant on the tyranny of England towards the American Colonies. We thank you for taking the time to watch this community reading of Frederick Douglasss What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? Source: Blight, David. Need I tell you that the Jews are not the only people who built the tombs of the prophets, and garnished the sepulchres of the righteous? The testimony of Senator Breese, Lewis Cass, and many others that might be named, who are everywhere esteemed as sound lawyers, so regard the constitution. When Douglass delivered his famous The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro address before an audience at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York, on July 5, Who so stolid and selfish, that would not give his voice to swell the hallelujahs of a nations jubilee, when the chains of servitude had been torn from his limbs? VIDEO: Frederick Douglass' descendants deliver his 'Fourth of July' speech. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Their conduct was wholly unexceptionable. Calculate how much it costs to transcribe, caption, or subtitle your content. speaking of it relatively, and positively, negatively, and affirmatively. I am glad, fellow-citizens, that your nation is so young. In a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the lame man leap as an hart.. Yea! The style and title of your sovereign people (in which you now glory) was not then born. Your cause would be much more likely to succeed. Translated on-screen subtitles for videos. Our eyes are met with demonstrations of joyous enthusiasm. We are met on the threshold of our efforts for the redemption of the slave, by the church and ministry of the country, in battle arrayed against us; and we are compelled to fight or flee. Industry-leading accurate legal transcription to ensure you dont miss a statement. WebFrederick Douglass, July 5, 1852 INTRODUCTION (Exordium) 1. here lies the merit, and the one which, of all others, seems unfashionable in our day. What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? In speaking of the American church, however, let it be distinctly understood that I mean the great mass of the religious organizations of our land. It carries your minds back to the day, and to the act of your great deliverance; and to the signs, and to the wonders, associated with that act, and that day. Mr. President, Friends and Fellow Citizens: He who could address this audience nor grace my speech with any high sounding exordium. The coming into being of a nation, in any circumstances, is an interesting event. Space is comparatively annihilated. Walled cities and empires have become unfashionable. In a very telling sign, the fateful words of Frederick Douglass from a speech he delivered 170 years ago still resonate very much in 2022 as Black people in America continue the fight for the same kind of equality that the legendary abolitionist was demanding back in the mid-19th century. The subject has been handled with masterly power by Lysander Spooner, Esq., by William Goodell, by Samuel E. Sewall, Esq., and last, though not least, by Gerritt Smith, Esq. This 4th of July is yours, not mine. This certainly sounds large, and out of the common way, for it is true that I have often had the privilege to speak in this beautiful Hall, and to address many who now honor me with their presence. That people contented themselves under the shadow of Abrahams great name, while they repudiated the deeds which made his name great. It is admitted in the fact that Southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or to write. Roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the old world. Attend the auction; see men examined like horses; see the forms of women rudely and brutally exposed to the shocking gaze of American slave-buyers. The din of business, too, is hushed. There, the question of emancipation was a high religious question. Hear his savage yells and his blood-chilling oaths, as he hurries on his affrighted captives! Yea! For the present, it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. Born to an enslaved family in 1818, Frederick Douglass never knew his actual birthday, a fact not uncommon for those enslaved. Tell me citizens, WHERE, under the sun, you can witness a spectacle more fiendish and shocking. The manhood of the slave is conceded. Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country. One of the parts of the speech that resonates with me the most is when Douglass says: What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I lived on Philpot Street, Fells Point, Baltimore, and have watched from the wharves, the slave ships in the Basin, anchored from the shore, with their cargoes of human flesh, waiting for favorable winds to waft them down the Chesapeake. Further, if this demand were not complied with, another Scotland would be added to the history of religious liberty, and the stern old Covenanters would be thrown into the shade. But I admit, where all is plain, there is nothing to be argued. To side with the right, against the wrong, with the weak against the strong, and with the oppressed against the oppressor! For 186 years this doctrine of national independence has shaken the globeand it remains the most powerful force anywhere in the world today. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slaves point of view. R. R. Raymond) on the platform, are shining examples; and let me say further, that upon these men lies the duty to inspire our ranks with high religious faith and zeal, and to cheer us on in the great mission of the slaves redemption from his chains. be warned! Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the old world, travel through South America, search out every abuse, 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. The anguish of my boyish heart was intense; and I was often consoled, when speaking to my mistress in the morning, to hear her say that the custom was very wicked; that she hated to hear the rattle of the chains, and the heart-rending cries. Is it at the gateway? I am not that man. I do not hesitate to declare with all my soul that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July. You may well cherish the memory of such men. Frederick Douglass Read the full transcript here. No abuse, no outrage whether in taste, sport or avarice, can now hide itself from the all-pervading light. Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. Oh, had I, the ability, and could I reach the nations ear, I would today pour out a fiery steam of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. Feeling themselves harshly and unjustly treated by the home government, your fathers, like men of honesty, and men of spirit, earnestly sought redress. there is no matter in respect to which, the people of the North have allowed themselves to be so ruinously imposed upon, as that of the pro-slavery character of the Constitution. And the conscience of the nation must be roused. The slaveholders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. The message of Frederick Douglasss 1852 speech on the contradiction of Americas just ideals and unjust realities endures. Frederick Douglass: (04:09) His own testimony is nothing. I am not that man. WebOn January 9, 1894, at Washington, D.C.'s, Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, Frederick Douglass delivered his "The Lessons of the Hour" speech, which addressed the My spirit wearies of such blasphemy; and how such men can be supported, as the standing types and representatives of Jesus Christ, is a mystery which I leave others to penetrate. You profess to believe that, of one blood, God made all nations of men to dwell on the face of all the earth, and hath commanded all men, everywhere to love one another; yet you notoriously hate, (and glory in your hatred), all men whose skins are not colored like your own. I leave, therefore, the great deeds of your fathers to other gentlemen whose claim to have been regularly descended will be less likely to be disputed than mine! WebThe Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Frederick Douglass. had I the ability, and could I reach the nations ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. They may sometimes rise in quiet and stately majesty, and inundate the land, refreshing and fertilizing the earth with their mysterious properties. This Fourth [of] July isyours, notmine. You live and must die, and you must do your work. Frederick Douglass thought that such rationalizations were crap, and he had the right to think so. Citizens, your fathers made good that resolution. Juneteenth Reading List: 10 Books To Learn More About Black Independence Day, Your email will be shared with newsone.com and subject to its, The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro address before an audience, at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852, he was issuing , a scathing indictment of American hypocrisy, Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy, . Thoughts expressed on one side of the Atlantic, are distinctly heard on the other. I cannot. This truth is not a doubtful one. Take the American slave-trade, which, we are told by the papers, is especially prosperous just now. I hold that every American citizen has a right to form an opinion of the constitution, and to propagate that opinion, and to use all honorable means to make his opinion the prevailing one. But a change has now come over the affairs of mankind. Descendants of Frederick Douglass read excerpts from one of his most famous speeches: What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? a horrible reptile is coiled up in your nations bosom; the venomous creature is nursing at the tender breast of your youthful republic;for the love of God, tear away, and fling from you the hideous monster, andlet the weight of twenty millions crush and destroy it forever! Senator Berrien tell us that the Constitution is the fundamental law, that which controls all others. There was, at that time, a grand slave mart kept at the head of Pratt Street, by Austin Woldfolk. Standing here identified with the American bondsmen, making his wrongs mine. Frederick Douglass: (06:03) When you can point to any such laws in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave. WebFrederick Douglass speech What to a Slave is the Fourth of July effectively argues against slavery. In the deep still darkness of midnight, I have been often aroused by the dead heavy footsteps, and the piteous cries of the chained gangs that passed our door. These wretched people are to be sold singly, or in lots, to suit purchasers. But, such is not the state of the case. Who so stolid and selfish that would not give his voice to swell the hallelujahs of a nations Jubilee when the chains of servitude have been torn from his limbs? The fate of many a slave has depended upon the turn of a single card; and many a child has been snatched from the arms of its mother by bargains arranged in a state of brutal drunkenness. There, see the old man, with locks thinned and gray. Speech-to-Text live streaming for live captions, powered by the worlds leading speech recognition API. And let me warn you that it is dangerous to copy the example of a nation whose crimes, lowering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty, burying that nation in irrecoverable ruin! It destroys your moral power abroad; it corrupts your politicians at home. With them, justice, liberty and humanity were final; not slavery and oppression. It is, however, a notable fact that, while so much execration is poured out by Americans upon those engaged in the foreign slave-trade, the men engaged in the slave-trade between the states pass without condemnation, and their business is deemed honorable. If any man in this assembly thinks differently from me in this matter, and feels able to disprove my statements, I will gladly confront him at any suitable time and place he may select. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. That which is inhuman, cannot be divine! WebA speech celebrating both Lincoln and African Americans freedom wrought by Lincoln. Their opposition to the then dangerous thought was earnest and powerful; but, amid all their terror and affrighted vociferations against it, the alarming and revolutionary idea moved on, and the country with it. What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? There are forces in operation, which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery. All Rights Reserved. Though a biting And yet not one word shall escape me that any man whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice or who is not at heart, a slaveholder shall not confess to be right and just. What, then, remains to be argued? There are seventy-two crimes in the State of Virginia, which, if committed by a black man, (no matter how ignorant he be), subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of the same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment. 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Frederick Douglass: (09:38) There are 72 crimes in the state of Virginia, which if committed by a black man, no matter how ignorant he be, subject him to the punishment of death, while only two of these same crimes will subject a white man to like punishment. The papers and placards say, that I am to deliver a 4th [of] July oration. Yet his monument is built up by the price of human blood, and the traders in the bodies and souls of men shout We have Washington toour father. Alas! WebOn December 3, 1860, Frederick Douglass and a group of fellow abolitionists met at the Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston for a discussion centered around the following Am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to Rob them of their Liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with ions, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters?

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