The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro - Analysis

Frederick Douglass's speech "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" gave a very different perspective on a very common topic. In an excerpt from the speech, he began, "The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common" (Douglass 337). That statement set the tone for the rest of the excerpt, noting that July Fourth, while being a holiday to white men, is not a joyous occasion for all men. He even went as far as saying that "This Fourth July is yours, not mine (Douglass 337). Douglass made it very clear that because the African Americans were enslaved, they were not considered citizens of the United States and did not feel as passionately about the Fourth of July. One of Ralph Waldo Emerson's essays, Self-Reliance, is a clear message from Emerson that as Americans, even though we all originally came from another nation, need to strive to be individuals (Emerson 181). Douglass's essay touched on a similar idea. He discussed how the African American's did not see the holiday in the same way that white men did, and in a sense, he was asserting the difference between white men and African Americans. Emerson believed that Americans should "insist on yourself; never imitate" (Emerson 181). Douglass also discussed how a slave views the Fourth of July. He said that it is seen as "gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim" (Douglass 337). Douglass, a former slave, knew the hardships that the slaves faced, and was outraged that the slave owners could celebrate their holiday that was considered to him as "a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages" (Douglass 181). Douglass was overall very upset with the view that the nation had on July Fourth. With the ideas of Emerson in mind, Douglass made a statement for himself, as well as all slaves. Douglass made it known that the slaves did not share all ideals with the white men, setting them apart.

Douglass, Frederick. "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 336-337. Print.


Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 180-181. Print.