On This Day in American History - At an Independence Day celebration in Rochester, Frederick Douglass delivers his most celebrated speech, “What to the slave is the Fourth of July?” July 5, 1852.
In the summer air of 1852, in Rochester’s Corinthian Hall,
Frederick Douglass stood tall,
His voice, a clarion call.
The sun shone bright, the flags unfurled,
But beneath the banners, a shadow curled.
A nation celebrated its freedom’s might,
While millions languished out of sight.
To the gathered 600, Douglass spoke,
His words, a hammer that broke
The chains of complacency and cheer,
Revealing truths many feared to hear.
“Great men,” he began, of the past he acknowledged,
Yet swiftly he turned, the nation he challenged.
“For you, the legacy of liberty stands tall,
For me and mine, it's a mournful call.”
He tore away the festive veil,
To expose a reality, harsh and frail.
“What to the slave is the Fourth of July?”
He asked, his voice a piercing cry.
“Gross injustice and cruelty it reveals,
The hypocrisy of a nation it unseals.
Your celebration, a sham, a hollow mockery,
Your prayers, sermons, a veneer of piety.”
Born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey,
In Maryland’s grip, he did daily rally.
Escape he made, to freedom’s embrace,
In New York’s arms, he found his place.
Douglass, the name he chose to wear,
A new identity, free from despair.
From bondage’s chains, his spirit soared,
His words, a weapon, his mind, a sword.
Through his speech, a truth was told,
A mirror to the nation, a challenge bold.
“To the American slave, your liberty’s cry
Is a cruel irony, a blatant lie.”
His voice, a beacon in the night,
Guided by justice’s burning light.
A decade before freedom’s amendment came,
His words ignited a righteous flame.
From Talbot County’s chains to New Bedford’s shore,
He rose, a leader, his spirit never poor.
A publisher, an orator, a beacon bright,
For human rights, he fought the fight.
In Corinthian Hall, his legacy was sealed,
A nation’s wounds, his words revealed.
Frederick Douglass, with courage and grace,
Showed the path to a juster place.
As rockets burst in July’s sky,
His message echoed, a lasting cry.
For liberty true and justice clear,
Frederick Douglass, we hold dear.