Frederick Douglass’ 1852 Speech on Enslavement

 Frederick Douglass gave speeches in several places in Peterboro NY, but his speech in Rochester NY at Corinthian Hall on July 5th, 1852 is, perhaps, his most famous. The Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society asked Douglass to present a speech on the Fourth of July to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence seventy years earlier. Douglass refused to speak on July 4th, but agreed to do so the next day, stating “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice. I must mourn.” He asked, and then explained, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?