Douglass

‘What to the slaves is the Fourth of July?’ By NICK STOICO For the Monitor. Dozens gathered in Hopkinton Town Hall on Wednesday for a public reading of one of the 19th century’s most well-known and powerful speeches by one of its greatest orators. On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass was asked to speak at an event in Rochester, N.Y., commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. African-Americans were barred from marching with white men’s parades on the official holiday,…

Be Part of the Excitement as NH Communities Read Fredrick Douglass … “What to the American Slave Is Your Fourth of July” Noon, Wednesday, July 3, 2019 On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a keynote address at an Independence Day celebration at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. It was a scathing speech in which Douglass stated, “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn.” Even though his words spoke directly to his moment…

Reading Frederick Douglass on July 3rd A public reading of one of the 19th century’s most famous speeches will take place at noon on July 3rd, 2018, at the Strawbery Banke Museum Visitor’s Center in Portsmouth. “What to the Slaves is the Fourth of July?” asked Frederick Douglass in 1852. Douglass, one of our nation’s greatest orators and abolitionists, was asked to speak at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In his provocative speech, Douglass said,…