July 4th, 1776 was declared Independence Day for the United States as it was the date the Declaration of Independence was signed by all 13 colonies. Yet took nearly 100 more years for most Black people in our nation to get a tastes of full citizenship, and that only last until the Compromise of 1877 (which ended the reconstruction era and marked the beginning of white supremacist terror across the South and the Great Migration). This is why many communities across the country read this speech by Frederick Douglass every year, and why it still feels so relevant today.
‘What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?’: Descendants Read Frederick Douglass’ Speech