“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Reading of Excerpts from Frederick Douglass’ 1852 Speech

 ​After escaping from enslavement in Maryland, Frederick Douglass became a leading abolitionist renowned for his eloquent oratory and anti-slavery writings. He gave this speech on July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York. In his speech, Douglass referred to the Declaration of Independence as establishing a nation committed to providing opportunity for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” to all its citizens. In less than a decade, that nation was embroiled in a civil war about the legitimacy of the enslavement of people of African descent.

Come to the Trent House Visitor Center to hear the stirring words of Frederick Douglass’ read by Trent House Association trustee James Peeples and Trenton students.

This program is part of the Trent House’s 250th anniversary commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, “Freedoms Reframed.”