nothin Frederick Douglass’s TImely Words Resonate At… | New Haven Independent

Frederick Douglass’s TImely Words Resonate At The Beinecke

Sophie Sonnenfeld Photo

Carte-de-visite images of Frederick Douglass from 1860 and 1865.

New Haven marked Independence Day with a different spin from the martial display in Washington: Three hundred people gathered at Beinecke Library for a public reading of the Declaration of Independence and Fredrick Douglass’ speech What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.”

The gathering, on Friday afternoon, was the second annual oration celebrating Independence Day and honoring the abolitionist, writer, and statesman Frederick Douglass. (Photography and recording were prohibited to preserve the historical atmosphere,” but the Beinecke plans to post an official video of the event online.)

The copy of the Declaration of Independence and an 1852 printing of Douglass’ speech are on display in a temporary exhibit in the library’s mezzanine area through Wednesday.

Micheal Morand welcomes the audience.

The Beinecke’s Michael Morand said readings like this one are organized so that we can reconcile with the past in the present to forge a better future.” Morand called the Declaration of Independence and What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” both timeless and timely” documents.

Douglas delivered What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” to the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Association in 1852. Morand emphasized that Douglass’ oration is especially significant for being not just 167 years old, but also 167 years bold.”

What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?” Douglass said in the address. I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than. all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which lie is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy‑a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour.

Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the old world, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the every day practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival.” (Read the full address here.)

Dunlap Broadside at the Beinecke.

The Beinecke’s copy of the Declaration of Independence is one of 200 produced on July 4, 1776 by Philadelphia printer and bookseller John Dunlap. The copies — often called the Dunlap Broadsides —were sent off by horse for distribution to newspapers.

Dunlap was in such a rush to print the Dunlap Broadsides, there’s even a word missing in our copy!” Morand said. He said the Beinecke copy embodies the founding fathers as they were in a hurry to declare independence.”

Beinecke Curator George Miles read the Declaration of Independence Friday. Douglass’ speech was divided among five readers. Readers for the Douglass oration included Beinecke media coordinator Tubyez Cropper, Inner-City News Editor and WNHH FM host Babz Rawls, Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology CEO Erik Clemons, Beinecke intern Eva Knaggs, and Pastor Trina Lucky of the Wheatntare Ministries in Naugatuck. 

Pastor Beth Morring.

Pastor Beth Morring of the Waterbury Greater Faith Word of God Ministries attended the event to hear her friend Lucky and her son Tubyez Cropper speak. The spread of historical awareness is important,” Morring said. I learned things tonight that I never learned in school!”

Morring said she was surprised by how much scripture was included in Douglass’ speech. Now you can’t even get people to quote any scripture anymore,” she said.

Cropper said the religious references encouraged unity” while in current political rhetoric there is too much deliberate division.” 

Tubyez Cropper.

Cropper said the event was organized because we have the original copies and thought holding a reading would be relevant, but it doesn’t tell the other half of the story.” The other half of the story was presented through Douglass’ speech.

Pastor Trina Lucky.

Lucky said she feels the reading was especially relevant in 2019.”

Along with the Dunlap Broadside and Douglass’ speech, an 1848 report on the the Seneca Falls women’s rights convention, and the first printing of an autobiographical narrative on escaping slavery called Life of William Grimes are are on display in the exhibit.

Douglass not only was present at the Seneca Falls Convention, but was one of 32 men who signed the Declaration of Sentiments. The Declaration of Sentiments, drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton for the convention, demanded equality with men in education, employment, and before the law.

Cropper said next year’s oration might cut parts of the lengthy Douglass reading to add in some excerpts from the Declaration of Sentiments.

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