Discover why some black Americans have reservations about celebrating the Fourth of July due to its connection to slavery and how one famous figure’s views evolved over time.
Image by Mike Schulte
Excerpt from The 13th Amendment Freedom Week Manual
About:
The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is the cornerstone of this manual. It is the foundation upon which all other rights, privileges and responsibilities belonging to Black Americans in this country were built. The 13th Amendment Freedom Week Manual is written to provide an annual celebrations week, during the week of December 6th, that educates as well as celebrates the beginning of freedom for ALL (not just some) American citizens. This manual focuses on the ANTI-slavery movement in America, starting with the Quakers and Founding Fathers, and includes the courageous actions of the slaves and freed slaves themselves. It is hoped that it will give proper respect and honor to the brave souls who, with God’s help, unleashed overwhelming powerful forces to break the chains of bondage for four million slaves and their descendents. The manual seeks to establish an annual week long celebration featuring something new to learn each day. It will provide a consolidated system of knowledge that leads to increased freedoms. (AMAZON)
Believe it or not, some blacks are not enthusiastic about celebrating the 4th of July because they say that blacks were still slaves at the time of the Declaration of Independence, and that it did not apply to blacks, only whites. They sometimes mention Frederick Douglass’ ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July’? – dated July 5th, 1852. Well, Douglass lived until 1895 and changed his views from the time he made that speech about the Declaration of Independence celebration.
His speech critical of the relevance of the Independence Day celebration in regard to those in slavery was before the founding of the Republican Party (in which he was an active member). It was before the Civil War, the D.C. Emancipation, the 1st and 2nd Confiscation Acts, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, the Civil Rights legislation, the election of blacks to Congress during Reconstruction, etc. For 54 years, he supported and fought for all of the achievements that helped free black people from chattel slavery and granted them equal opportunity.
Frederick Douglass became a great American patriot and Statesman!
So those blacks who like to recite Frederick Douglass as a reference should look at the “timeline” of his growth and development if they want to treat him fairly. He recognized and accepted the United States Constitution as a document for freedom, and not slavery. He served as an advisor to Presidents, recruited black soldiers for the Union Army, was appointed U.S. Marshall of the District of Columbus, was appointed as U.S. Deeds of Record for the District of Columbia, and was appointed U.S. Minister Resident & Consul General for the Republic of Haiti. Frederick Douglas was no half-baked revolutionary. He protested socialism and communism being imposed upon him. Frederick Douglass was one of the foremost abolitionists, and he was a great American hero!
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