👋 4th Of July fast approaching, I am Vividly reminded of this speech: “What to the Slave Is The Fourth Of July?” ~ Interested to hear your thoughts?

[VIVANT]

Thank You 💗💗💗

“ What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July ”
{LINK BELOW}

Frederick Douglas delivered this speech in Corinthian Hall, Rochester, New York, addressing the Rochester to the Lady’s Anti Slavery Society. July 5th. 1852.

-76 years after the sighing of the Declaration of Independence. July 4, 1776.

-14 years after he himself - With the help of his fiancée - had escaped slavery. September 3, 1838.

Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, renown for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings. Widely referred to as - by blacks and whites alike -
“The Prophet Of Freedom”

-Born: February 1818, Cordova, MD.
-Died: February 20, 1895, Washington, D. C.

... "The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your Fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth Of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn”...

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/speeches-african-american-history/1852-frederick-douglass-what-slave-fourth-july/

[loveslongnails]

Hey, I read somewhere that " “Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice". Do you have his e mail? Is he on Insta or Twitter? :-D

* Fabulous post, Viv.

[VIVANT]

lol I see what you did there 😛

[SpiritBear]

It’s very American, that’s for sure! ;)

[razelove]

I don't think outside some small historical festivals that the 4th for most other people is a heart wrenching celebration of the nations independence. For me it's just an excuse to make rockets, blow things up and if I'm far enough in the back of beyond fire a couple hundred rounds off as well.

Honestly I usually have more fun on new years anyway. More people have days off work, and sometimes I can take a trip to see brothers in other states or countries.

[VIVANT]

lol

how do you make rockets?

[razelove]

Well, first you select a fuel, I don't mess around with liquids, so solid boosters are the way I do it. Fuel can be broken down into 3 types for simplicity, or rather complexity, easiest being gunpowder, then sugar rockets (sugar and sodium or potassium nitrate) with the most difficult being aluminum with ammonium perchlorate and cyanide based epoxy binding the powders.

Regardless you select a fuel, weigh it out, shape it into a cylinder with newspaper on the outside, decide if you're making a ballistic rocket, parachute, airburst, etc, but always start with the engine, that controls your thrust, how much the rocket and engine can weigh, and how high it can go.

After you mold your engine you make a rocket body, metal, balsa, owens corning board, whatever you want to use, you make a cardboard silhouette of the shape of your rocket and balance it on a tabletop, put a line across the balancing point and you have your center of mass, this is where you tie a string to when you assemble the rocket, and balance it to add weight to the tail or nose. If it's going to have a parachute you need a small charge of smokeless powder with a paper wad and a detachable nosecone and of course a parachute, having an LED light or radio tracker if it's going a couple miles helps too.

If it's ballistic, then you're forgetting about it after it fires, same with putting a fuse on an explosive charge at the top of the engine for when the fuel burns out after apogee to just blow up. Rocket fuel tends to be explosive, so you already have that on hand, you need to make igniters to launch it, so you have those too, easy peasy lemon squeezy

[Lliam]

Poignant!

What's interesting is, the words in, first, the Declaration of Independence and, later, the Constitution and, later, the Bill of Rights, set out all the values, philosophies and rights that, as the supreme law of the land, people were able to use as justification to gain the rights that were not initially recognized. For example "All men are created equal" did not initially apply to women or people of African ancestry. In fact equality only applied to non-African, land owning males. But the language was eventually used by suffragists and people of color to claim equality under the law.

Injustice has existed in America forever, and it still exists. But, amazingly, the founding documents have a lot of potential. When not dishonestly ignored or subverted, they spell out justice for all. But it's up to the citizens - The People - to insist upon honest interpretation of those documents. The rich and powerful do not want those ideals fulfilled.

So the 4th of July might possibly be viewed as the beginning of a journey that puts power in the hands of citizens rather than monarchs and aristocrats. Nevertheless, the battle is ongoing. We don't have a monarch, but wealthy elites and corporations (aristocrats of our time) hold tremendous power. The battle involves them trying to maintain power by keeping The People ignorant, confused, and divided among themselves so that they can't unite against their overlords. Unfortunately, we still have a lot of work to do.

[goaded]

Very well said!

[American_Centurion]

Being sold into slavery by other Africans in the United States was the best thing that could have happened to African Americans. Slavery was an evil practice but slaves thrived in the United States and multiplied and were treated like valuable livestock whereas in douth America, the Caribbean Africa, Arab countries and ottomans their death told was very high and life brutally hard. Muslims tended to castrate African slaves. The only slave trade we should be talking about with any importance is the one going on in Africa and Arabia right now with Africans being enslaved by other Africans and arabs. There might be more spaces now in 2020 than at any point in history.

[loveslongnails]

Carson is an idiot, and so is that quote. I also can't find ANY source verification for your meme stating "27 million blacks are currently enslaved in Muslim countries". I'm sure there's a number, but it's not 27 million. I'm also certain NO conservatives (in the USA at least) EVER complained about that either.

[Grond21]

Under slavery, he was exactly right. The founding documents of our country, of equality of opportunity, freedom and liberty for all, were not equally applied. Because slavery was a direct contradiction to this.

But once slavery was ended, then the founding intention of the document, the ideals of the country, were applied to everyone. Certain individuals still did not have it, and there were systemic issues for a long time afterwards. But it consistently moved in the right direction.

Towards more and more freedom

[Anonymous]

The 4th of July is a major part of everyone's freedom whether they acknowledge it or not. It celebrates the founding of this nation, which has spent an awful lot of time fighting for freedom's ACROSS THE GLOBE. There's not a single country that hasn't been blessed by Americans and their willingness to fight and die to try and help. Sure they're not perfect. They never were, but I believe it's racist to hold 300 year old men accountable to what we now believe and understand. They continued to grow and learn just as the rest of us should. They didn't know or understand everything, but when they finally recognized the worth of a human, regardless of their color, they damn sure went to war and fought and died to help free them. Without the 4th of July, it's entirely conceivable that slavery would still be as visible and prominent as it was back then. The 4th of July was the beginning for everyone's chance at freedom. Not just "rich white men" as the racists keep shouting today.

[goaded]

Did poor white men get to vote? Did rich white women? Were black people even counted as people? Hell, states revoked the rights of free black males to vote.

It was a good start, and it's got better, but until the inequalities of the time are gone forever, it's a bitter-sweet memorial.

[VIVANT]

I fully disagree. Imperialism didn’t happen bc a few men were ignorant and had to learn about humanity. Nor has it to do with altruism. That’s the cover to excuse the use of trillions $ to fund wars that no one wants and are crime against humanity.

Power is complicated bit own thing is certain the grasp for power by the already powerful has never been pure in motive.

[Opinion Owner]

you're ignoring the trillions of dollars and man hours that the United States has poured into humanitarian aid projects once those countries are able to receive them. Regardless of what you may think the reasons we've gone to war are, can you really argue and say that what we've done after, have been anything short of a blessing to all involved? Many freedoms across the globe are a direct result of the US and their actions. Many technologies that exist in poorer countries only exist as a result of US efforts.

[Opinion Owner]

@goaded Thank God my granddaddy got on that boat- Muhammed Ali

[Sargentcaptain]

It's a damn good thing that slavery abolished before any of us were born.

[goaded]

If your great-great-great-grandfather was a slave, he and your great-great-grandfather couldn't vote, your great-grandfather had to pass tests to be allowed to vote, your grandfather couldn't get a mortgage to buy a house, so your father didn't inherit anything and you're scared your children might be shot for playing with a toy gun.

But it's all good now.

[Sargentcaptain]

Yeah, we could all be shot by a crazy cop.

[Jamie05rhs]

@goaded's point is very much recognized. But I, too, am glad that slavery is over.

[NerdInDenial]

Noted but you have to look at the context at the time. The founding fathers needed the South to unite against the greater threat: the British Empire. In the end, everything worked itself out and the foundation of this country allowed us to overwrite the wrongs. I will celebrate the 4th of July.

[OddBeMe]

Good point. I don’t hold holidays or historical icons to any super hero regard. Like the statues in the news, people attach their own ideology unnecessarily.

[VIVANT]

Me neither tbh. But the 4th always gets me thinking. Thanks giving as well.

[ZackBan]

Can't really see the relation between the two.
I mean isn't fourth of July the American independence day?
That's not a slavery related event

[loveslongnails]

The point Mr. Douglas was making is that "white settlers" celebrate their "freedom" from British rule on that day, but black people who were brought to this country as slaves, had little to reason if ANY to celebrate that day, in 1852. The great majority were still slaves.

[ZackBan]

Be that as it may slavery was not a new concept back then. Its been around for thousands of years.
The fourth of July is the birth of a country, independence as in not being ruled by someone else.
The white settlers were never saints but they did build a country on the foundation of freedom and that very foundation subsequently lead to the abolishment of slavery.
Had it not been so we might still have slaves today so it's still worth celebrating.

[loveslongnails]

Your analysis is short sighted, sophomoric and inaccurate. Not only were the founding fathers "not saints", many of them were total assholes. The USA was not founded on the "cry to be free". Learn some real history. And as to your point, if "freedom" from being "ruled by someone ELSE" had been their main moral motivation, there would NOT have been slaves going forward from the day the Declaration of "Independence" was signed !!

[NamerOfStars]

He sums it up pretty well. Slavery is a disgusting thing, in all its forms, in every time and place it's practiced.

[COMMODOREII]

I agree with what he says and i love his writings. I read them in college. But in order for evolution to take place it is time to take that as your own and make 4th of July and everything that is this country everyones.

[Aakash_Hangargi]

I have no input sorry, but I will read the article thanks for shwring📖🙂

[Sevenpointfive]

from the that excerpt he sounds stupid. i don't understand how a continent of malnourished black people can't take on a few ships full of soldiers?

[Cryptic-Game]

You are so right, my rad and beautiful madam. A slave feels inability to achieve freedom as they are encompassed with much grief.

[_SOARER]

I was Vivantly reminded of this speech

[VIVANT]

🙃😊

[KrakenAttackin]

NO, just stop. There are no slaves alive today. The 4th. of July is ABOUT THE BIRTH OF AMERICA.

[VIVANT]

Capitalism is predicated on mass enslavement of Africans of many nations. Bitty of America is inextricably linked to Enslavement..

[KrakenAttackin]

Pffffft. Did you learn that in a victim studies class?

Pathetic. Americans are finally losing patience with blacks.

[Jjpayne]

This is my response, prediction :)

[Jjpayne]

What will be the effect that #blacklivesmatter on the U. S. Holiday the Fourth of July? ↗

[Jamie05rhs]

Omg- the kids!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

[asshole_]

No taxation without representation

[VIVANT]

👌👌

[Anonymous]

Be Affraid, Be Very Affraid.