Frederick Douglass's Fourth of July Oration, 1852

After escaping from slavery and then experiencing continuing denigration in the North, Frederick Douglass eventually became a very effective speaker for the abolition cause. Always very direct, Douglass often said things to white audiences that they really did not want to hear. In 1852 the Ladies' Anti- Slavery Society of Rochester invited Douglass to speak at its Fourth of July celebration. The audience was extremely shocked by what he said.

Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to- day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? and am I, therefore, called upon to bring out humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?.