Ella Turpin, 14, left, waits to read a passage from Douglass’ famous speech with her mother, Robbins House President Nikki Turpin. The Robbins House raises awareness of Concord’s African, African American, and antislavery history. Photo by Ken McGagh for The Concord Bridge
Photos: The words of Frederick Douglass remembered on Independence Day
July 5, 2024
Reflecting on the meaning of Independence Day in his iconic 1852 address, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” Frederick Douglass made lasting note that while all men had been created equal, they were not, at the time, so treated: “I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me…”
This July 4, as seen in these images by photographer Ken McGagh for The Concord Bridge, Concordians and visitors gathered at The Robbins House to reflect on Douglass’ words.
Dr. Michael Williams of Concord reads a passage from Douglass’ famed 1852 address, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Photo by Ken McGagh for The Concord BridgeJudah Pierce-Onos, 4 of Acton, attends a reading of noted abolitionist Frederick Douglass’ iconic speech on slavery, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” at the Robbins House on July 4, 2024. Photo by Ken McGagh for The Concord BridgeMichael Plunk and his daughter, Meryn Plunk, 7, tourists from Westfield, Indiana, present a passage from Frederick Douglass’ iconic speech calling out the hypocrisy of America celebrating freedom and signing the Declaration of Independence despite its practice of enslaving Black people. Photo by Ken McGagh for The Concord BridgeMaritere Mix gestures as she reads a passage from 19th-century abolitionist Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” at the Robbins House on Independence Day. Photo by Ken McGagh for The Concord Bridge
Hear the full address, as read by Ossie Davis, below.
Via the National Museum of African American History and Culture
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