The world around me has started to see the 4th of July from a different perspective over the last few years than just celebrations and patriotism and it has been interesting to see. I had my own perspective widened 26 years ago in an American History class at my HBCU that spent quite a bit of time talking about the great Frederick Douglass and an entire class period on his 1852 speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July” that I have seen articles on in several major newspapers this weekend. It has always been one of my favorite speeches because this piece of bold oratory brilliance was delivered by an “uneducated” Black man who was once a slave and shared what was the unfinished promise from America’s Founding Fathers. Douglass talked about his respect for those founding fathers and their bravery, and how they loved their country more than their own interests, and how “they preferred revolution to peaceful submission to bondage”. But it is this excerpt that has always stuck with me:
“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 denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all of 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 earth guilty of practices, more shocking, and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour”
The United States is now 156 years removed from slavery, and 57 years removed from the worst of “Jim Crow laws” and America is still working to become a “more perfect Union”. I can not forget the atrocities done to my ancestors, but I have seen the good in people of all races and creeds and believe that we can continue to work towards a better world. I will always support our troops and those who fight for freedom because they are truly the best among all of us. The 4th of July, for me, has not been a day of celebration for a long time, but has been a solemn day where I always think of the successes and horrors of our past, and how we can continue to work towards the fulfillment of the “promissory note” written by the Founding Fathers.
You are entitled to voice your opinion. That, of course, is due to the revolution and constitution which bestowed that right, quite novel at the time and still not universal in the world. I don’t think anyone claims the founding fathers were perfect or even egalitarian, but some of us choose to celebrate what remarkable progress was made by them, even if imperfect.
@itsgettingreal21 I appreciate your post. I do, however, long for the day when we can have some holiday that universally brings us together as Americans. I’m not sure that holiday exits yet, and that’s a shame.
I’d like that as well but it’s impossible for that to happen until we are truly honest with ourselves about the past. Sadly, too many Americans will continue to fight facing the truth about our past horrors as well as the ongoing injustices which result from those horrors.
We can never solve our problems until we face them honestly. It’s fine to celebrate the good things about America but we’ll never have “a more perfect union” with “liberty and justice for all” until we stop buying into the myths which are meant to cover up the complicated history of our country, past and present.
To be honest about our history is not un-American in the least. Those who point out injustices and ask others to consider history from another point of view are exercising the liberties that America promises. I truly appreciate posts like the OP’s, and I value the opportunity to reflect and to learn.
However, not everyone effectively had that right back then (refer to the post #1 of this thread), and it was not long before there were attempts to restrict it even among those who were supposed to have that right.
I hope you read the manuscript from Douglass’s speech, because he speaks in detail of the sacrifices and admiration of those who fought a revolution and wrote a document that is still remarkable in its scope and wisdom. You are right that their has been much progress (it has been taking too long, however), but I have also seen enough to know that there is much left to do. The 4th of July for me is about reflecting on those who have sacrificed to make that progress possible, and doing my part to continue that growth. I hope that everyone has had an enjoyable holiday weekend.
I like that too. And yes, I did read the speech. Incredibly moving, isn’t it? I think we agree, just have a slightly different emphasis, tho certainly both are valid. Lots of progress so far and lots to be done
But the progress can be fragile, and is vulnerable to being rolled back. Indeed, if you believe Freedom House, freedom in the US has been on a downward trend.
The OP did recognize positive change in his last paragraph of the initial post.
Unlike many “really not a first world problem” threads on CC (recognizing that many of those get negative as you said) IMO this IS quite a first world problem and deserves some commentary for those willing to mull over discussion content along with our fireworks, picnics and apple pie.
I would argue that what we mostly do is focus on the good (blind patriotism) in our rush to bury the truth. We Americans sometimes pretend that it’s all fine and gloss over the awful things we have done to all kinds of people.
Aren’t the fireworks, picnics, parades, and speeches all about celebrating America? Why can’t we also acknowledge the dirty laundry in the cupboard? I do not think July 4th just needs to be patting ourselves on the back about how great America is. Whatever people want to discuss on Independence Day, they should feel free to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of American history.
I heard Douglass’ great great etc…grandchildren read his speech yesterday. It was awesome. Should be required reading in all high schools. With some people speaking out against history being taught in schools (in reference to CRT), I wonder how many high schools make the speech part of the curriculum?
I read an amazing essay last year. I did not write it, but I wish I had the eloquence of the author. I will only post the first paragraph, as I fear if I post the whole thing it might be deemed political. The point of the essay is to understand the role white Americans have played in shaping the future of many black Americans.
“400 years ago, white people enslaved black people and brought them here. They sold them. And treated them as less than human. For 250 years this went on, while white men built the country on the back of slavery and created its laws and its systems of government. 10 or 15 generations of white families got to grow and flourish and make choices that could make their lives better…”
If anyone wants the whole essay, you can send me a message.
Not sure why your acknowledgment of this is necessary or relevant? It is certainly appreciated, but I suppose we are free to act without this imprimatur?
You do know what the 3/5ths compromise was, right? I have studied several constitutions around the world, and the US’s, in its original form, is a bit shocking. I appreciate the unamended version was written in 1787, but read it from its original version, and then understand the amendments.
I hope that the “some of us” who like to celebrate also acknowledge the problems that still exist, the contributions of the great folks involved in the US civil rights movement, which continue today, and the contribution of courts like the SCOTUS that helped enforce change. If not, because of those “some”, what exactly do we want to celebrate?
I celebrate the attempts to make this a more “perfect union”, not an imperfect one.
Although, sometimes the SCOTUS decisions may not have been what most now would call “progress” for the time they were made, whether in antebellum times (Dred Scott v. Sandford), in the previous century (Korematsu v. United States), or more recently (Shelby County v. Holder and Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, which increased the range of things that states could do to make voting more difficult).