LAD #16: Douglass on the 5th of July

Summary: Frederick opens by asking what the significance of the Decalration is to "us", the slaves. There is a degree of irony in the whole affair, due to the fact that this joyous celebration has no meaning for the enslaved. He says that "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." He compares the bitter tone of the event to the jews leaving Jerusalem. It doensn't matter what the past says, or how much freedom has been guaranteed to the people, for the slaves are still in seemingly eternal bondage. He is disgusted by the joyous, contradictory cheering, proclaiming that America never seemed blacker than on this day. Blacks must be granted the same manhood as other men, considering that they take place in the same businesses and educations.