GUEST OPINION
Declaration-of-Independence, Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments and Frederick Douglass’s iconic speech “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?” (Photos – Josh Hallett, pbs.twimg.com, PICRYL)
When the 4th of July approaches each year, we are invited to think about the dramatic words of the Declaration of Independence – those inspirational ideals of liberty, equality, and the pursuit of happiness. But as we raise flags and light fireworks, it seems worth asking: what do these words mean for us today and are we living up to their promise?
By Karen Hirsch
Taking to heart the spirit of Independence Day, I offer three documents to reflect on and to talk about, three readings from our nation’s history that likely go unnoticed amidst the sparkle of fireworks displays. The first, of course, is the Declaration of Independence, the reason for this holiday. This foundational document demands our attention, not just for its historic weight but for its passionate pleas for freedom and self-determination. It’s brief and powerful to read aloud. Hearing it, it’s impossible not to feel the anger and frustration of a people oppressed by a distant power. It challenges us to consider what government is truly for, that is, what is the purpose of government itself? Whether you are creating a new government or evaluating an existing one, these are vital questions, yes? And reading aloud The Declaration of Independence can prompt great discussion about the very nature and purpose of government.
But of course, there’s context to consider. While the Declaration of Independence is filled with surprising and profound ideals, we cannot ignore its glaring contradictions. It was written by men who spoke of liberty yet owned slaves, who sought freedom yet excluded vast portions of the population from its promises. It was a document of rebellion against tyranny, yes, but it was also a document that left women, indigenous peoples, and enslaved Black Americans outside the bounds of its vision. As we celebrate our independence, we remember that these same principles were not granted to everyone and that this exclusion was designed.
To gain deeper understanding of these complexities let’s bring two additional American documents to our holiday table. These powerful responses to The Declaration of Independence emerged decades later but reflected conversations and controversies that had been ongoing since before our nation’s founding. Here let’s read Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments (1848) and Frederick Douglass’s speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” (1852). Both documents reflect the continuing struggle to make the American experiment live up to its ideals.
The Declaration of Sentiments, read at the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, mirrored the language of the original Declaration while making a stark demand for equality for women. “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” it boldly states, “that all men and women are created equal.” In doing so, it placed women squarely in the conversation about freedom and rights, a conversation woman had been wholly excluded from. The women at Seneca Falls understood that the Declaration of Independence was incomplete, that its promises were yet to be fulfilled. They called for the same rights described in that set of ideals of 1776 to be extended to women. A powerful document but remember as you read it that Black women were still not included.
Frederick Douglass’s iconic speech asked a painful but necessary question: “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?” For Douglass, the celebration of independence was a mockery to those who were still enslaved. The freedom he and other Black Americans yearned for had not been realized. His speech is a searing indictment of the hypocrisy that defines much of our national identity, an identity that speaks of freedom while perpetuating bondage.
Both documents suggest to us that the fight for freedom is never complete. The Declaration of Independence planted the seed of liberty, but it’s been a long, brutal, painful journey to fulfill its ideals, ideals still unrealized. And as we reflect on America’s promise, it’s worth asking: how far have we come? And how much further do we still need to go?
This Independence Day, I invite you to read all three of these documents. Read the Declaration of Independence with all its revolutionary fervor (“we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor”). Then read the Declaration of Sentiments and Douglass’s speech. Feel the weight of their words, their demands, their frustrations, their hopes for a better future. Together, these three documents offer powerful and painful conversations about the meaning of freedom in America.
And let us not simply look to the past. These documents are not just historical curiosities; they are calls to action for our time. We can share with Thomas J., Elizabeth S., and Frederick D. our own frustrations and hopes for a better future. The ideals detailed in all three documents —liberty, equality, justice—are still fiercely alive today, but they are still painfully unrealized. When we speak up for our neighbors, when we challenge abuses of power, when we demand justice for the marginalized, we are continuing the work that these documents called us to.
So, this 4th of July, let us remember that this Day of Independence is not just a celebration of what we have achieved, but a reminder of the work that lies ahead. Let us evaluate which grievances we are still proclaiming today and ask ourselves how we too can push the nation closer to the ideals that were promised long ago.
Karen Hirsch is the owner of Apron Strings Community Bake Shop, a Pasadena cottage food bakery and teaching studio focusing on naturally leavened breads and wholesome treats.
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