A statue of Frederick Douglass was torn down and damaged in Rochester, New York, on Sunday, on the anniversary of Douglass’s famous speech on liberty, Independence Day, and slavery.
Douglass delivered his speech on July 5, 1852, in Rochester, so many have argued that this weekend’s vandalism was no coincidence. And although police have not yet identified a suspect, I’m inclined to agree that whoever did this knew what he or she was doing.
It’s a shame because Douglass’s memory is more important than ever. Recent events have made it clear that this nation is still trying to reconcile its founding principles with the lived experiences of many who see equality for all and justice as little more than an ideal. Douglass had quite a bit to say about this very subject.
In his speech, titled “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Douglass argued that liberty and equality meant nothing so long as slavery existed in the U.S. Independence Day was “a day that reveals to [the slave], more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.” “This Fourth July is yours, not mine,” he wrote. “You may rejoice, I must mourn.”
Prominent activists, such as former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, have adopted a similar position today, 155 years after abolition. They argue that the Fourth of July is just a “celebration of white supremacy.” Kaepernick’s rhetoric isn’t new. William Lloyd Garrison and his band of abolitionists once declared that the U.S. Constitution was a compact with Satan, created to preserve slavery and injustice.
Douglass also agreed with Garrison’s characterization of the Constitution at one point. But later, he changed his mind. Douglass realized that the Constitution is not only the best vehicle for change but also the best chance at a truly just and free society for all.
He was right: It was through the Constitution that President Abraham Lincoln invoked the powers granted to the federal government and put down the South’s rebellion. It was through the Constitution that Congress later abolished slavery for good. Meanwhile, it was only a willful, long-term decision to ignore the clear meaning of the Constitution that ended Reconstruction and allowed the Jim Crow era to follow — a decision finally reversed after the Civil Rights struggle.
This nation isn’t perfect, but its ideals are. Douglass knew that so long as we directed our government toward those ideals, all people, regardless of skin color, would be able to live the life his or her ancestors never had.
Hundreds of years later, and we still have a long way to go. But the Constitution and its goal of a “more perfect” union isn’t the problem — it’s the solution. Douglass knew that, and today’s activists would be wise to respect his memory, fight for his legacy, and follow his lead.
