‘What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?’

By: Frederick Douglass

Outlets: Nevada Current

Published: July 4, 2026

Words: 2,262

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 4 days ago

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Editor’s note: It is a tradition at the Nevada Current that each Fourth of July we publish excerpts from the famous speech delivered by Frederick Douglass in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852. The optimism Douglass expresses and his praise of the “great principles” of the Declaration of Independence are perhaps particularly noteworthy as the nation observes the 250th anniversary of that document’s adoption.

…Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I …

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