What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

Born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey in February 1818, Frederick Douglass worked tirelessly over the course of his life for social reform and abolition in the United States. By the end of his life on February 20th, 1895, Douglass would contribute to countless political movements, publish a number of powerful writings on abolition, and become the first African-American nominated for Vice President of the United States. His powerful legacy has earned him a permanent place in U.S. history and the national consciousness.

Douglass was born to an enslaved mother and was raised mostly by his maternal grandmother; in his adolescent years, he was sent to live with Hugh Auld, the brother of the man who enslaved Douglass’s family. At the Aulds’ house in Baltimore, Lucretia Auld taught the young Douglass how to read and write, treating him with dignity. Douglass harnessed his learning in secret, developing his skills through observation and by practicing with White children in the city. In his teenage years, Douglass was sent to work, still enslaved, for William Freeland; on Freeland’s plantation, Douglass taught other enslaved people how to read and write at a Sunday school. Other White slaveholders were incensed by this and retaliated with violence.

When Douglass was 16 years old, Thomas Auld, the original slaveholder who enslaved Douglass’s family, sent him to work for a man named Edward Covey as punishment. On Covey’s plantation, Douglass was frequently beaten; he describes this physical brutality in his 1845 autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. This was an important turning point in Douglass’s development as a passionate crusader for freedom and equality.

By 1837, Douglass had met his wife-to-be, Anna Murray, a free woman in Baltimore, and he escaped enslavement with her help. Once free, Douglass built his reputation as an orator, writer, and political activist for abolition and universal suffrage. In his 20s, Douglass lived in Massachusetts where he published his writing, spoke at various events, and formed political connections. As Douglass gained fame, he also attracted unwanted attention; from 1845 to 1847 he travelled to Ireland and England in order to avoid retaliation from slaveholder Thomas Auld. During this trip, Douglass experienced a world where being Black did not have a distinct negative impact on his experiences; he saw what it would be like to live in a non-segregated society where he did not have to fear violence at every turn.

Throughout his adult years, Douglass capitalized on his early life experiences to build a legacy as an expert orator, powerful author, and an activist for an end to slavery and for the rights of all people. This legacy earned Douglass his invitation to speak in 1852 at the Rochester Anti-Slavery Sewing Society’s Fourth of July event. Douglass’ decision to speak on July 5th, 1852 instead is part of the concerted argument he makes in the now-famous speech. The speech reflects on much of what Douglass learned and experienced: he contends that US society is not as equal as it claims to be, he argues that the violence and brutality maintained by a system of slavery is unjust and should be ended, and he describes the inherent ironies of a value system that allows people to be enslaved by others.