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Statewide Community Readings: Frederick Douglass’s Fourth of July Speech
July 3, 2019 @ 8:00 AM
FreeBe Part of the Excitement as NH Communities Read Frederick Douglass …
“What to the American Slave Is Your Fourth of July”
Noon, Wednesday, July 3, 2019
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a keynote address at an Independence Day celebration at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. It was a scathing speech in which Douglass stated, “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn.” Even though his words spoke directly to his moment in history, they still ring with an unsettling power today.
Coordinated by the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, communities across the state will join in a simultaneous reading of Douglass’ most famous speech. Members of the public will take turns reading parts of the speech until they’ve read all of it, together. Everyone is welcome to read; this event is free and open to the public.
Towns and locations are listed below. All reading will start at noon. Time varies in Claremont and Exeter. Please call us at 603-570-8469 for more information.
Dover: Public Meeting Room Dover Public Library | 73 Locust St, Dover, NH 03820 | 603-516-6050 |
Hopkinton: Hopkinton Town Hall | 330 Main Street, Hopkinton, NH |heather_j_mitchell@yahoo.com
Keene: St James Episcopal Church | 44 West Street, Keene NH 03431 | 603-352-1019
Lebanon: Colburn Park | 51 N Park St, Lebanon, NH 03766 | cbrougvie@gmail.com
Manchester: Manchester City Hall | 1 City Hall Plaza, Manchester, NH 03101 | 603-290-5549
Nashua: Nashua Public Library, Theater Room | 2 Court Street, Nashua, NH 03060 | lindagathright@live.com
Plymouth: Town Green | Post Office Sq, Plymouth, NH 03264 | cspring2@mac.com
Portsmouth: Strawbery Banke Museum Visitor Center | 14 Hancock St, Portsmouth, NH 03801 | jubilee@blackheritagetrailnh.org
Warner: Warner Town Hall | 5 East Main St. Warner, NH | info@warnerhistorical.org
Claremont: Moody Park Pavillion, top of the hill (6 pm) | 152 Maple Ave, Claremont, NH 03743 | reb178@myfairpoint.net
Exeter: Exeter Historical Society (7 pm) | 47 Front St, Exeter, NH 03833 | (603) 778-2335| pyosha@comcasst.net
About Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery sometime around 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. He became one of the most famous intellectuals of his time, advising presidents and lecturing to thousands on a range of causes, including women’s rights and Irish home rule.
A fiery orator, Douglass’s speeches were often published in various abolitionist newspapers. Among his well-known speeches is “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro,” presented in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852, a version of which he published as a booklet. There were approximately 500 attendees who heard him speak.
Douglass had been invited to speak about what the Fourth of July means for America’s black population, and while the first part of his speech praises what the founding fathers did for this country, his speech soon develops into a condemnation of the attitude of American society toward slavery.
