Frederick Douglass’ large lecture “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?,” delivered connected July 5th, 1852, to a predominantly achromatic assemblage astatine Rochester’s Corinthian Hall, captured the contradictions built into the nation’s July Fourth celebrations, past and to this day. The nation’s founding papers whitethorn person declared that “All men are created equal,” but astatine the clip of Douglass’ code implicit 3 cardinal Black radical were enslaved. Douglass’ determination to present the code connected July 5th conveyed his presumption that the Fourth was not yet worthy celebrating, for the vacation revealed to the American slave, “more than each different days successful the year,” arsenic Douglass enactment it, “the gross injustice and cruelty to which helium is the changeless victim.” The Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery successful 1865, but “What to the Slave” continues to talk to galore readers astir the gross injustice and cruelty of a federation that fails to connection adjacent opportunities and justness for all.
That speech, however, whitethorn not beryllium the astir compelling oregon adjacent applicable of Douglass’ speeches for this year’s Fourth of July. A amended campaigner would beryllium his 1867 “Sources of Danger to the Republic,” delivered aft the Civil War connected respective occasions, including arsenic portion of a Black-sponsored lecture bid successful Philadelphia. Douglass took banal of the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, and the antiauthoritarian committedness of the Declaration of Independence, and his concerns prophetically expect our contiguous moment.
“Sources of Danger” was prompted by Douglass’ choler astatine President Andrew Johnson, whom helium believed had betrayed the committedness of Reconstruction by attempting to artifact each authorities intended to bring astir radical equality. Though not delivered connected oregon adjacent July Fourth, the code shares overmuch of the holiday’s sentiment. Douglass begins with an entreaty to “patriotic citizens of the United States,” and, stopping abbreviated of “Fourth-of-July extravagances,” helium offers his “humble gratitude to the fathers who framed the nation’s founding documents.” (I punctuation from the mentation Douglass gave to the Black assemblage successful Philadelphia connected January 3, 1867.)
As successful his much celebrated Fifth of July speech, Douglass laments the nation’s nonaccomplishment to unrecorded up to “the large principles of the Declaration of Independence.” In addition, helium argues successful “Sources of Danger” that the Constitution makes the presidency into thing similar a monarchy and frankincense a menace to democracy. Douglass concedes that determination are electoral limits connected the presidency, making it antithetic from a monarchy. Nevertheless, the president, invested arsenic helium is with astir unlimited power, “can reign agelong capable to perpetrate immoderate fig of mischievous acts, and truthful decision the astir beneficent measures of our Government.”
How did it hap that immoderate of the signers and supporters of the Declaration of Independence could make a authorities successful which a president similar Johnson is “invested with kingly powers”? Douglass speculates that the “fathers of this republic,” who were calved nether “monarchical institutions,” retained an unconscious nostalgia for monarchy. That nostalgia led to a cardinal mistake successful the Constitution—the elevation of the presidency to a kingship—which “must present beryllium corrected.” As helium instructs his audience, “You indispensable person either a purely enactment Government oregon you indispensable person a monarchical Government, 1 oregon the other.” The load of what could beryllium called Douglass’ No-Kings code is to place the occupation and suggest however to hole it.
Initially, the occupation seems to beryllium Andrew Johnson. Douglass states that the framers of the Constitution failed to expect a president similar Johnson—a antheral consenting to instrumentality afloat vantage of the deficiency of restraints connected the presidency to go a “one-man power.” But adjacent though Douglass refers to Johnson present and again, implicit the people of the code helium steps backmost successful bid to marque a larger lawsuit astir Constitutional nonaccomplishment and much disinterestedly offers his concerns astir the nation’s aboriginal presidents and prospects.
“King Andy,” illustration by Thomas Nast. From Harper’s Weekly, November 1, 1866.
Douglass archetypal calls attraction to however the Constitution puts “immense patronage successful the hands of the President.” The president, helium observes, has entree to “hundred millions of dollars per annum successful times of peace, and uncounted thousands of millions successful times of war.” There are lone constricted constraints connected however helium mightiness usage the money. He tin usage it to beforehand his ain policies oregon adjacent to enrich himself and presume powerfulness implicit others. Douglass is peculiarly acrophobic astir however easy the president tin administer the nation’s wealth “among his governmental friends.” At the thought, Douglass tin lone propulsion up his hands and declare: “What a power! What a corrupting power!”
And there’s more: Douglass calls attraction to the corruption enabled by the president’s veto power. He is outraged that a azygous person—the president—can overrule a elemental bulk of legislature legislators. The thought that the president ever out-votes an nether two-thirds legislature bulk is “an absurdity,” Douglass says, arsenic good arsenic an affront to democracy. Douglass leaves nary uncertainty astir what helium thinks should beryllium done to code the anti-democratic statesmanlike veto: “I privation that old, despotic, and aristocratic powerfulness of our Government utterly banished from our Constitution. It has nary concern successful a enactment signifier of government.” Even successful England, Douglass points out, nary specified powerfulness is invested successful the monarchy.
Even though Douglass refers to Johnson present and again, implicit the people of the code helium steps backmost successful bid to marque a larger lawsuit astir Constitutional nonaccomplishment and much disinterestedly offers his concerns astir the nation’s aboriginal presidents and prospects.
Douglass adjacent turns to the president’s pardoning powerfulness arsenic yet different root of danger. He does not privation to destruct the anticipation of pardons, but helium sees corruption arsenic the inevitable effect of the president’s implicit close to assistance them. In Douglass’ time, helium was peculiarly aggravated astir Johnson’s determination to pardon astir each of the leaders of the erstwhile Confederacy. As a governmental theorist, however, helium looked into the aboriginal and was particularly acrophobic astir however unrestricted pardons added to statesmanlike power. With the assistance of the Constitution, a president’s quality to pardon felons could beryllium deployed “to triumph idiosyncratic friends and co-operation and alliance, alternatively of loyal obedience to the laws of the land.”
Among Douglass’ suggestions for limiting statesmanlike power, possibly the astir pertinent for our contiguous humanities infinitesimal is his telephone to abolish the president’s quality to undertake “secret diplomacy.” which puts the federation astatine risk. As Douglass warns, a atrocious president volition take a atrocious cabinet, and with “a atrocious President and a atrocious Cabinet” doing the secretive diplomatic work, “this federation mightiness beryllium conducted into the jaws of a unspeakable war, and beryllium perfectly helpless.”
Andrew Johnson, the contiguous absorption of Douglass’ critique, was impeached that adjacent year. Douglass thought helium should person been convicted for crimes against Black people, but helium was impeached for thing precise different: his usurpation of the Tenure of Office Act by firing Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. But was impeachment the champion effect to the problem? In “Sources of Danger” Douglass insists that wide law change, alternatively than rituals of impeachment, would assistance to insure the aboriginal of the country.
Even successful an aggravated and astatine times despairing code similar “Sources of Danger to the Republic,” Douglass retained anticipation for the future, calling connected Americans to unafraid the antiauthoritarian committedness of the nation. “Strike down the one-man powerfulness everywhere,” helium says astatine the speech’s conclusion; “make your Government thin to the people, and distant from the idiosyncratic oregon the one-man power.” If Americans are consenting to bash that, done law betterment oregon different means, “you marque definite the permanence, prosperity, and glory of this large republic.” This is Douglass’ privation and petition to america from 1867. As successful “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?,” helium reminds Americans of the inactive unfulfilled egalitarian committedness of the Declaration of Independence, and determination is nary amended clip for specified a reminder than July Fourth.
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