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Frederick Douglass’s “The Meaning of July Fourth For the Negro” was given by Frederick Douglass in 1852. He was asked to give this speech by citizens of Rochester, New York at a July Fourth celebration (Joe).  At the time when this speech was written, enslaved people in the south were not allowed to attend Fourth of July celebrations, because slave owners feared that it would give them ideas of freedom (Joe). The speech that Frederick Douglass gave was probably shocking and surprising to the citizens who were in attendance to the celebration. They probably expected him to give a speech that would celebrate the day, but instead he points out how unfair it is and how the slaves deserve to be free and have independence just as much as the white people. He expresses how his people are enslaved and not allowed the same freedom as white people in the following passage:

“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?” (Douglass).

Frederick Douglass and Ralph Waldo Emerson share many common philosophies. Frederick Douglass believes that men should be free and he stresses it a lot in his speech “The Meaning of The Fourth of July”. He thinks that slavery is unfair and that all men should be free and have individuality. Ralph Waldo Emerson also believed in freedom and was against slavery. He believes very strongly in individuality and therefore, believes that men should not own or control other men (Brewton).

Frederick Douglass and Ralph Waldo Emerson both believe that men should be equal regardless of the color of their skin. In Douglass’s speech “The Meaning of July Fourth For the Negro”,  he argues that the enslaved men are not treated like they are even men.

“On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light? Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it.” (Douglass)

He says that enslaved people are recognized as people and everyone knows that they are in fact people, but they are not treated like they are people. Douglass does not think that any man should be treated in the way that enslaved people are treated. Emerson also believes that all men should be treated equal.

“Let our affection flow out to our fellows; it would operate in a day the greatest of all revolutions.” (Emerson)

He believes that if all men were treated equally, everything would be better and it would be better than any revolution.

Douglass and Emerson share the philosophy that men should be equal and neither of the two like slavery.

Bibliography

Joe. "Frederick Douglass: The 1852 Speech on the Meaning of the Fourth of July :: Racismreview.com." Racism Review. 4 July 2011. Web. 07 Feb. 2012.

Brewton, Vince. "Emerson, Ralph Waldo [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 24 July 2003. Web. 07 Feb. 2012.

Douglass, Frederick. "The Meaning of July Fourth For the Negro." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Africans in America. Web. 07 Feb. 2012.