Dr. Johnathan Flowers, Blade Wielding Bisexual (Lordean arc): Over at the Bad Place, I made a tradition of posting Douglass' "What, To The Slave, Is The Fourth of July," and I intend to carry on that tradition here. Since most versions you read in classes or in textbooks have parts omitted, the link below has the full text of the speech.

Over at the Bad Place, I made a tradition of posting Douglass' "What, To The Slave, Is The Fourth of July," and I intend to carry on that tradition here. Since most versions you read in classes or in textbooks have parts omitted, the link below has the full text of the speech.

(1852) Frederick Douglass, "What, To The Slave, Is The Fourth Of July" •www.blackpast.org On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass was invited to address the citizens of his hometown, Rochester, New York. Whatever the expectations of his audience on that 76th anniversary of the signing of the D...

"I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us."

"Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future."

"At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed." Would that the left would learn this fucking lesson and direct that scorching irony towards the people who deserve it, and not the folks in solidarity with us.

"To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery..."

"At the very moment that they are thanking God for the enjoyment of civil and religious liberty, and for the right to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences, they are utterly silent in respect to a law which robs religion of its chief significance..."

"A worship that can be conducted by persons who refuse to give shelter to the houseless, to give bread to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and who enjoin obedience to a law forbidding these acts of mercy, is a curse, not a blessing to mankind."

You're really citing the Douglass 4th of July speech against the left for doing some kind of unspecified bad thing? Wow that's great reading

great reading is the fact that you took "I'm posting this speech" as "I'm aiming this speech at the left for doing x thing", which he never said. so apparently you just can't read at all.

Do you think the sentence “would that the left would learn this fucking lesson” is from Douglass?

When I think of people talking about how they won’t vote, I think of this speech, and how cheaply people throw away their power. It makes his words bite even harder, for their truth and how clearly he could see the soul of our country.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZDc... One of the finest voices in Hollywood reading it.

"What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?": James Earl Jones Reads Frederick Douglass's Historic Speechwww.youtube.com In a July Fourth special broadcast, we share the words of Frederick Douglass as read by actor James Earl Jones. Born into slavery around 1818, Douglass becam...

Turns out that July 4, 1852 was the 25th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in NY State, an event that continues to be unmarked & uncelebrated in NY: history.nycourts.gov/when-did-sla...

When Did Slavery End in New York? - Historical Society of the New York Courtshistory.nycourts.gov This article was written by Craig A. Landy, a partner at NYC firm Peckar & Abramson, PC. Mr. Landy talks more extensively about this … More When Did Slavery End in New York? »

And here is a video of excerpts from the speech read by Douglass' actual descendants. www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBe5...

‘What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?’: Descendants Read Frederick Douglass' Speech | NPRwww.youtube.com In the summer of 2020, the U.S. commemorated Independence Day amid nationwide protests for racial justice and systemic reforms in the wake of George Floyd’s ...

"Were the nation older, the patriot’s heart might be sadder, and the reformer’s brow heavier. Its future might be shrouded in gloom, and the hope of its prophets go out in sorrow." 😔

Thank you! Listened to some parts with the kid on our way to day camp this morning. She was more engaged than I expected.

July 4, 2024 An end and THE END: ⭐️England votes to take a landslide step away from 14 years of Conservative destruction while 🇺🇸 barrels headlong into its 2nd (and final) fascist regime with new Mango Monarchial powers if 🔵 does not get its shit together and FAST!!! www.huffpost.com/entry/labour...

Labour Party To Win U.K. General Election, Exit Polls Showwww.huffpost.com The center-right Conservative Party has governed Britain for the past 14 years, but frustrated voters are ready for a change.

I read that every 7/4..it starts out with such glowing remarks re: the Founders and then...

As sit happens, I posted this as well--it can be heard, via Democracy Now, either in my timeline or over at the DN site.

Thank you.

Why would they omit parts? Does it make the already biased US history somehow worse?

NPR posted it on Instagram, being read by members of Douglass's family. I think they do that every year.

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