ABSTRACT

On July 4, 1852, the black abolitionist Frederick Douglass provided one of the first scathing criticisms of black participation in American holidays:

What have I or those I represent to do with your national independence? I am

not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high inde-

pendence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings

in which you this day rejoice are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance

of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence bequeathed by your fathers is

shared by you, not by me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may

rejoice, I must mourn.1