Let Freedom Ring
Dear Leading Ladies,
Frederick Douglass, the great abolitionist, orator, statesman and essayist, spoke on July 5, 1852, to the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society in Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. Douglass and his family lived in Rochester, a city of liberal thought and activism. The Fugitive Slave Act, which demanded that those who escaped slavery be returned to their “owners,” motivated Rochester abolitionists to work even harder to help more escapees get to Canada on what is known as the Underground Railroad. Douglass was among a supportive crowd as he greeted the 500-600 white women who attended his lecture. All were of at least comfortable means; some also supported women’s suffrage, but the mission of their group was abolition. The society financially supported Douglass’s newspaper and this lecture, as well as appearances by other well-known abolitionists, by holding small fundraisers. Attendance at the Douglass lecture cost 12 cents.
The speech, delivered on July 5 because Douglass refused to speak on July 4 until all those enslaved in the United States were freed, was an impassioned indictment of slavery and the hypocrisy of America’s professions of liberty for all. Most of the audience responded enthusiastically, though a few thought Douglass had gone too far. Nonetheless, the Society voted unanimously to endorse the speech after it was presented. His appearance prompted a great deal of thought and discussion afterward, and Douglass published the speech in his newspaper, Frederick Douglass’ Paper, and printed 700 copies in pamphlet form, which sold out.
Since Douglass’ speech, and with the heroic efforts of Black and white citizens, civil rights activists and political leaders, there have been advancements. Nonetheless, discrimination in classrooms and workplaces, serious wealth inequities, and differences in access to quality health care, education, and housing remain. Recent cuts in programs for children, the elderly, those with chronic health issues, and so much more, have us headed backwards instead of forwards.
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We think Douglass’s speech deserves a re-visit this year and every year, along with our barbecues, beach trips, parades, and flag waving.
What follows is an abridged version of Douglass’s speech.
“...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 our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?
“I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day.
National Archives and Records Administration
“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. 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 denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy — a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.
“At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could I reach the nation's ear, I would, to day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.
“Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival....
“Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented, of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country. There are forces in operation, which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery. “The arm of the Lord is not shortened,” and the doom of slavery is certain.
“I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope.”
In the beginning of Douglass’s speech, he stated that he admired the Founding Fathers. “I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men too—great enough to give fame to a great age.” Nonetheless, slavery was an evil that was in conflict with the espoused values of the new country. Douglass was hopeful because he believed there were forces that would make the United States live up to its promise.
Let’s keep supporting candidates that stand up for everyone’s rights.
Here are a few other ways to contemplate the words and thoughts of Douglass, especially relevant in these times when we are witnessing the erosion of civil rights for many in our midst.
Share Douglass’s edited or complete speech with others. You can read it in its entirety here.
Across the country, there will be public readings of the speech throughout July, including 70 in Massachusetts. Find a location near you.
Plan your own backyard reading at your barbecue or get-together. Take turns reading a paragraph or two; let the kids join in. You can use our edited version or make your own.
Watch with family and friends the great actor, James Earl Jones, read the speech here.
And, by the way, hats off to the women of the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. Their original name was the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Sewing Society, but sewing took a backseat to their activism pretty quickly. Thus, the name change. Nonetheless, there’s a good chance that many of the handmade goods sold at their fundraising “bazaars” were created by members. They didn’t have the vote for another 60+ years, but these women still fought for the rights of others. They were certainly leading ladies worthy of our admiration.
Nice.
Therese (she/her/hers)
Judy (she/her/hers)
Didi (she/her/hers)
Leading Ladies Executive Team
Leadingladiesvote.org
ladies@leadingladiesvote.org