July 5

July 5, 1852: On the 25th anniversary of New York State's abolition of slavery, Frederick Douglass delivers his famous "Fifth of July" speech in Rochester's Corinthian Hall, declaring; "This Fourth of July is yours not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn."

 

 

 

Sources and Further Reading:

1. Rochester History (2005), vol 67, no 4, pg 10
2. pbs.com; Africans in America, Resource Bank, 'The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro'