“What to the Slave is 4th of July?”: James Earl Jones Reads Frederick Douglass’s Historic Speech

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  • Опубликовано: 3 июл 2019
  • In a Fourth of July holiday special, we hear the words of Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery around 1818, Douglass became a key leader of the abolitionist movement. On July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, he gave one of his most famous speeches, “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro.” He was addressing the Rochester Ladies Antislavery Society. This is actor James Earl Jones reading the speech during a performance of historian Howard Zinn’s acclaimed book, “Voices of a People’s History of the United States.” He was introduced by Zinn.
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Комментарии • 2,9 тыс.

  • @olusheyibanjo
    @olusheyibanjo 5 лет назад +1492

    James Earl Jones' voice is so rich and powerful. He could read anything and make it sound amazing

    • @rollsroyce7385
      @rollsroyce7385 5 лет назад +4

      olusheyi banjo facts..

    • @riss5693
      @riss5693 5 лет назад +12

      Yes! I came here just to hear him read

    • @YellowPaint100
      @YellowPaint100 5 лет назад +34

      The man could probably sentence you to death, and you'd probably hold your head high, stick your chest out, & proclaim . . . I AM READY.

    • @olusheyibanjo
      @olusheyibanjo 5 лет назад +6

      @@YellowPaint100 for real. LMBO

    • @moniquer397
      @moniquer397 5 лет назад +32

      Except what he read was amazing..his voice didnt make that..

  • @luvbig41
    @luvbig41 5 лет назад +491

    "Do you citizens mean to mock me by asking me to speak today?" ....Wow.

    • @dellamcghee468
      @dellamcghee468 5 лет назад +41

      Yes...that's exactly what their intentions were. Although, the Most High!, gave this brotha a tremendous! amount of discernment to see and hear them plot, before hand. Halleluyah!

    • @189hosp6
      @189hosp6 5 лет назад +23

      Amazing the Courage and Boldness of this great man, D. Fredrick, at that point in time, to speak Truth to Power damming the consequences.
      The Freedom of today, stands on the shoulders of his like.

    • @animalcookie
      @animalcookie 5 лет назад +15

      @@dellamcghee468 Well, he was invited to speak by the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society. Surely abolitionists expected a speech regarding abolition or the absence of liberty when they invited a famed abolitionist to speak on "Independence Day".

    • @julietfischer5056
      @julietfischer5056 4 года назад +16

      @@dellamcghee468 - This was an abolitionist group. I think that they were naive and not thinking what the date meant to slaves and others under the bootheel of white America. So he told them.

    • @julietfischer5056
      @julietfischer5056 4 года назад +11

      @@animalcookie - They just didn't expect him to tell them what the date meant to slaves.

  • @drums3269
    @drums3269 2 года назад +86

    It's 2022 and this still resonates today! Thank you, Mr. Douglas.

  • @reremoore6029
    @reremoore6029 5 лет назад +145

    No lies all truth from way back much respect to our ancestors and Mr.Jones 💯‼️

    • @Diddley_Squat
      @Diddley_Squat 4 года назад

      That's what they were thinking when they tore down his statue.

    • @Diddley_Squat
      @Diddley_Squat 3 года назад

      @@degamispoudegamis look it up.

  • @alexandredeoliveiraarruda4725
    @alexandredeoliveiraarruda4725 5 лет назад +901

    Frederick Douglas was, continues to be and will always be a light to people of good sense and who naturally say NO to the tyranny of any kind.

    • @gregfoster2305
      @gregfoster2305 5 лет назад +10

      Alexandre de Oliveira Arruda ...well said.

    • @tajmuhammad9688
      @tajmuhammad9688 5 лет назад +9

      Alexandre de Oliveira Arruda
      I agree with you dear Mr Arruda.
      May you long Live and prosper.

    • @natemosby8810
      @natemosby8810 5 лет назад +3

      @victor soto if that was true it would be way different lol

    • @grantmarcus5675
      @grantmarcus5675 5 лет назад +5

      I'll celebrate the 4th of July when Congress and the nation celebrates the passage of Juneteeth.
      Oh say can you see / by the drone's early flight / what so proudly we heil / at eternal wars streaming. / Doctor Strangelove's red glare / riding bombs everywhere / gave proof through the night / that our MIC was still there. / Oh say does that star-swatted hammer yet wa-ve / o'er cycles of bigotry-ee / and the wealth of the depraved

    • @natemosby8810
      @natemosby8810 5 лет назад +3

      @@grantmarcus5675 the United States fought the civil war and give a whole month just to one race as well as numerous benefits like help with school and work as well as being a protected group in most places id say you should celebrate july 4th the U.S.A did that for you but do what you want cause that is also what we fight for so you can do and say whatever you want unless your white and vote for trump then you cant lol

  • @TheGo1denBull
    @TheGo1denBull 5 лет назад +658

    Remember that Fredrick Douglas was at first an illiterate slave who later became one of the greatest orators!!!!

    • @jamoflys
      @jamoflys 5 лет назад +66

      And James Earl Jones had a speech impediment, a hardcore studder, before he became the the great speaker he is. How about that.

    • @TheGo1denBull
      @TheGo1denBull 5 лет назад +13

      Janet Burrus indeed. Those of Light will rise no matter the darkness around them

    • @anthonynorman7545
      @anthonynorman7545 5 лет назад +2

      @Janet Burrus then why are the impoverished and meek more likely to die from natural disasters, diseases, and starvation?

    • @elainebird58
      @elainebird58 5 лет назад

      You sound jealous, but oh wait he was, then, but GOD, he wasn't loool haters, you need to be scared for your life

    • @jamoflys
      @jamoflys 5 лет назад +5

      @Janet Burrus Actually had nothing to do with any gods, Douglas was an atheist. He just had will power and a vision.

  • @jeanheard4615
    @jeanheard4615 Год назад +10

    I love his voice he can make you feel like you were there when this speech was written and said

  • @johnfox2196
    @johnfox2196 5 лет назад +21

    This man's voice is legendary

  • @VirtualDuality
    @VirtualDuality 5 лет назад +750

    I don't know how Frederick Douglas sounded in 1853, but I do believe he'd be proud of Mr. Jones's interpretation. Anything James Earl Jones reads aloud turns to holy scripture gold. I feel like I should say Amen! The true embodiment of the voice of God... Or Satan if he plays Vader.

    • @GreenDragon11
      @GreenDragon11 5 лет назад +11

      KINGKADE Cade A true blessing that is so richly deserved!
      Thank you 🙏!!!

    • @nospam3327
      @nospam3327 5 лет назад +23

      I would listen to JEJ read a phone book... his voice is so deep and resonant.

    • @mikeaskme3530
      @mikeaskme3530 5 лет назад +6

      @Kingkade i have to think he sounded like Mr. Jones with a baritone voice.

    • @veinteduece6625
      @veinteduece6625 5 лет назад +2

      @@nospam3327 😂😂😂

    • @ramonwilliams236
      @ramonwilliams236 5 лет назад +1

      Facts

  • @beantianja
    @beantianja 5 лет назад +780

    thank you Democracy Now for opening with this very necessary speech TODAY!

    • @mrmiracle9956
      @mrmiracle9956 5 лет назад +7

      And you have a new subscriber.Queen ❤🕊

    • @VidarrKerr
      @VidarrKerr 5 лет назад +2

      Luke, I am your father.

    • @grantmarcus5675
      @grantmarcus5675 5 лет назад +5

      I'll celebrate the 4th of July when Congress and the nation celebrates the passage of Juneteeth.
      Oh say can you see / by the drone's early flight / what so proudly we heil / at eternal wars streaming. / Doctor Strangelove's red glare / riding bombs everywhere / gave proof through the night / that our MIC was still there. / Oh say does that star-swatted hammer yet wa-ve / o'er cycles of bigotry-ee / and the wealth of the depraved

    • @k1dork
      @k1dork 5 лет назад +3

      Grant Marcus, you’re free to leave the country.🤷🏾‍♂️✌🏾

    • @grantmarcus5675
      @grantmarcus5675 5 лет назад +8

      @@k1dork So you like endless wars, bigotry, and wealth for the few haves, and poverty for the rest of us? Shame on you.

  • @00ghostcobra
    @00ghostcobra 4 года назад +43

    The damn nerve that they even had to ask Fredrick Douglass to do this speech was astounding..

    • @julietfischer5056
      @julietfischer5056 4 года назад +4

      This was an anti-slavery society. Their main crime was naivete about how slaves and freedmen viewed the nation and its history.

    • @TheTibetyak
      @TheTibetyak 4 года назад +2

      @FullBlown - Thank you for that enlightenment. I had no idea if not for your efforts, as I am sure is the same for many others. Shame on this channel, Democracy Now, for cutting such a critical part.

    • @ndeamonk24
      @ndeamonk24 3 года назад +1

      He delivered. Lord knows he delivered

  • @davida.rodriguez8870
    @davida.rodriguez8870 2 года назад +15

    Amazing!!! Still resonates today on so many levels. It's still a country for the few not the many.

  • @kingofthecatnap5422
    @kingofthecatnap5422 5 лет назад +417

    No blind patriotism from me, ever. Thank you, DN!

    • @killingjoke535
      @killingjoke535 5 лет назад +4

      @Tax-bitchass biyatch And you have no clue what a real patriot is. Only fools blindly follow. Clowns like you need to read

    • @dee3444
      @dee3444 5 лет назад +1

      Tax-bitchass biyatch so it’s your assertion he be a blind patriot?

    • @tmcdowell7977
      @tmcdowell7977 5 лет назад

      Tax-bitchass biyatch good argument smh

  • @alspeace
    @alspeace 5 лет назад +398

    James Earl Jones! Nobody brings a vision of Frederick Douglass to life like him.

    • @Coffeeisnecessarynowpepper
      @Coffeeisnecessarynowpepper 5 лет назад +6

      Morgan Freeman

    • @dellamcghee468
      @dellamcghee468 5 лет назад +4

      Exactly! We should take Frederick Douglass words to heart and spirit. Once my ears and eyes were open more to the truth of all the deception lies and falsehoods, I turned back to the "Most High!"...even more so. My brotha's and sista's...we must reach out ten times more daily, in order to be delivered from the clutches of the morden day Pharoahs. We must do this my family. Let not these words of wisdom and "Freedom be in Vain". We shall overcome with faith and perseverance. We shall not... and will not...ever... for evermore give up! Stop serving these false gods....as Frederick Douglass says; these are not our holidays. There is no holiness in these days for us. Let us do and not give lip service. Our Most High!" Is all 'POWER and Glory' Halleluyah!! Shalom

    • @RSAgility
      @RSAgility 3 года назад

      @@dellamcghee468
      The irony of black Christians is enough to make even more iron shackles than slavery ever could!!!
      To see a Christian black man(or woman) is to see a devout Jewish Orthodox Nazi worshipping Hitler on his or her free time…
      It makes no sense!
      They used that religion to justify enslaving you!
      And you still think they think of you as equals?
      Religion is divisive!
      It tells every race they are specially created and “unique” and we were not created, we’re all one race of advanced evolved great apes who achieved consciousness….

    • @rodeoclownobama5796
      @rodeoclownobama5796 2 года назад

      them blm wern't worth a fk then and you still aren't, you were bought not sold, blame your own kind who sold you to the british

    • @skeetorkiftwon
      @skeetorkiftwon 2 года назад

      @@dellamcghee468 All that and you finish with the Jewish God's praise....the greatest slaver of your people...it's unreal.

  • @antoinejones448
    @antoinejones448 5 лет назад +10

    Rochester ny is my home.we always pay homage to Fredrick Douglas.

  • @lisadokes2655
    @lisadokes2655 2 года назад +25

    This was amazing and UNFORTUNATELY still NECESSARY TO HEAR!!!! I honor Frederick Douglass and Mr. James Earl Jones for reading his ever so moving speech.

  • @sambradley1968
    @sambradley1968 5 лет назад +1061

    Thank you Fredrick Douglass & James Earl Jones for reminding us of the hypocrisy surrounding this day, that this wasn't "Independence Day " for everyone. 😐

    • @joeavreg2254
      @joeavreg2254 5 лет назад +6

      That's what makes it super special, being able to keep it from others. Freedom is only valuable if other people don't have it.

    • @Gwenesis
      @Gwenesis 5 лет назад +15

      JEJ's hypocrisy marrying into his ancestors' oppressors. Bm like him are so lame. 😲

    • @TheTezExperience
      @TheTezExperience 5 лет назад +9

      Gwen Esis his first wife was black and his second wife was an abolitionist.

    • @Gwenesis
      @Gwenesis 5 лет назад +3

      @@TheTezExperience I was talking about JEJ.

    • @mr.motivation3797
      @mr.motivation3797 5 лет назад +9

      No one said it was Independence DAY for everyone. Dummy. Its noy hipocrisy if it wasnt claimed to be for all. Does Slovenia celebrate it? Ok then. You on that bullshit. And Douglas was a Republican. Good for him.

  • @TheT74
    @TheT74 5 лет назад +85

    After reading his autobiography, he will forever remain one of my heroes. His sheer determination to learn to read, write and later escape slavery without the help of the Underground Railroad has forever challenged my values.

    • @dogchaser520
      @dogchaser520 Год назад

      And to not only become literate, but highly literate, to the degree that his mere existence totally negated any arguments about the inferiority of his people. His choice of words, his ability to craft a compelling phrase, and the moving character of the prose are all top tier.

  • @aileenthorne888
    @aileenthorne888 5 лет назад +16

    Thank you Mr. Earl Jones, with the memory of Mr. Fredrick Douglas well spoken words..

  • @selinaantoniagraves5418
    @selinaantoniagraves5418 5 лет назад +2

    Thanks you for standing up for brothers and sisters from the black community.

  • @lifestraight
    @lifestraight 5 лет назад +692

    A very eloquent, accurate, and wholly appropriate denunciation of the hypocrisy of this holiday.

    • @kingofthecatnap5422
      @kingofthecatnap5422 5 лет назад +16

      All this and Trump has a military parade. No blind patriotism here...

    • @comradejozef2806
      @comradejozef2806 5 лет назад +25

      In the words of the reputed historian Noel Ignatiev: "Treason to whiteness is loyalty to humanity."

    • @k1dork
      @k1dork 5 лет назад +3

      lifestraight, you’re not a slave.🤷🏾‍♂️

    • @k1dork
      @k1dork 5 лет назад +3

      beanie0112, bullshit. It’s a celebration of the country.
      There is nothing wrong with that.

    • @dennismartin4963
      @dennismartin4963 5 лет назад +1

      You are one of the few rational people commenting here.

  • @safurasalam
    @safurasalam 5 лет назад +445

    I listen to this reading every fourth, and it feels more and more relevant every year. This year more than any other.

    • @grantmarcus5675
      @grantmarcus5675 5 лет назад +13

      I'll celebrate the 4th of July when Congress and the nation celebrates the passage of Juneteeth.
      Oh say can you see / by the drone's early flight / what so proudly we heil / at eternal wars streaming. / Doctor Strangelove's red glare / riding bombs everywhere / gave proof through the night / that our MIC was still there. / Oh say does that star-swatted hammer yet wa-ve / o'er cycles of bigotry-ee / and the wealth of the depraved.--As MLK once said, a country that spends more money on the military than it does on social uplift, approaches spiritual bankruptcy.

    • @k1dork
      @k1dork 5 лет назад +2

      Safura Salam, you’re a slave?

    • @williamshafer3199
      @williamshafer3199 5 лет назад +3

      @@k1dork no Safura is not a slave; BUT YOU ARE!

    • @k1dork
      @k1dork 5 лет назад

      william shafer, How do you figure?

    • @teemadarif8243
      @teemadarif8243 5 лет назад

      Yes sister that's what I say.

  • @jessicamatei2116
    @jessicamatei2116 2 года назад +10

    Powerful words that sadly still ring true today! 😔

  • @janhunter5443
    @janhunter5443 5 лет назад +29

    Although I missed hearing this on July 4th I appreciate Democracy Now for doing this video and bringing awareness to the American people. What a great speech and do Mr. James Earl Jones did a fantastic job in reading it.

  • @PapiElric
    @PapiElric 5 лет назад +151

    Hello and support from France : kisses for the great James Earl Jones.

    • @goldenleopard9778
      @goldenleopard9778 5 лет назад +7

      Hey, France. How about you decolonize these African nations you are occupying.

    • @PapiElric
      @PapiElric 5 лет назад +9

      @@goldenleopard9778
      Unfortunately, the current government (Macron & CO) will not change anything (sorry for my english).

    • @Ruck.Norris
      @Ruck.Norris 5 лет назад

      France???? Im not gonna place u in the same category of ur forefathers. But France tho...

  • @drraechristopher
    @drraechristopher 5 лет назад +49

    YOU REJOICE
    I MUST MOURNE 😢

  • @marshagreen9759
    @marshagreen9759 3 года назад +10

    Awesome writing by Frederick Douglass and read so well by James Earl Jones. I never heard this reading by Mr. Douglass, I am ashamed to say as a 67-year black woman, just hearing this for the first time. Mr. Douglass must have been a great man, the look on his face tells strength, truth, and courage.

    • @dirtypokesouthsideofh-town552
      @dirtypokesouthsideofh-town552 Год назад

      FREDERICK DOUGLAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
      HOUSTON, 3RD WARD, TX.
      BLACK POWER!!! 💪🏿✊🏿🙏🏿🖤🖤🖤
      ✌🏿

  • @DeeboX-vv8ji
    @DeeboX-vv8ji 4 года назад +4

    We don't need light, we need the FIRE, not the rain, the STORM. Powerful words

  • @rositasultana6835
    @rositasultana6835 5 лет назад +104

    Many miles before I sleep....we have a long way in front of us until we can say we have a true, vibrant and passionate liberty, equality and fraternity.

    • @helenbobo1948
      @helenbobo1948 5 лет назад +3

      The last 3 years and more have set us all back. Set us all back so far it'll be a long, hard way back to here. You ready?

    • @rositasultana6835
      @rositasultana6835 5 лет назад +6

      Helen Bobo aye aye !

    • @k1dork
      @k1dork 5 лет назад

      Helen Bobo, what rights did you lose in the last 3 years?

    • @helenbobo1948
      @helenbobo1948 5 лет назад +4

      @@k1dork We weren't talking about rights specifically. I was speaking of the eroding of American society caused by division caused by fear and ignorance. It's part and parcel of making america great again, I guess.
      As for the rights I've lost...maybe none that I know of. But I know loss of rights is in the works for everybody except the very rich. But especially for those who go along with the people who claim they hate who you hate. You don't realize they hate YOU, too. You are nothing except a means to an end that won't favor you either.

    • @k1dork
      @k1dork 5 лет назад +1

      Helen Bobo, division that is equally caused by “progressives.”👍🏾

  • @globalwarmhugs7741
    @globalwarmhugs7741 5 лет назад +99

    Stirring words, delivered by a brilliant person, on behalf of a brilliant person. All I can do is nod my head.

    • @lechat8533
      @lechat8533 5 лет назад +2

      100%

    • @stack3843
      @stack3843 4 года назад

      Had the declaration not stated "All men are created equal" slavery would have continued for several generations. Fredrick Douglas himself has even stated that the declaration is the backbone of freedom for America.

  • @jas7869
    @jas7869 5 лет назад +6

    Yep and this is why I won't ever celebrate Independence day and that alone doesn't make me Anti-American it makes me true to my roots!
    What a good job James Earl Jones is such a befitting narrator!

  • @sheareefrison1915
    @sheareefrison1915 2 года назад +10

    Such a powerful, strong voice, thank you both for this reminder of what the fourth of July means.

    • @tgriffin3059
      @tgriffin3059 Год назад

      If you need a reminder, you're no American...and if you need it from HIM...even more so...

  • @maryburrell3948
    @maryburrell3948 5 лет назад +29

    This is a powerful speech

  • @v.leewalker8640
    @v.leewalker8640 5 лет назад +36

    Thank you for sharing this! 🤗

  • @NODE1975
    @NODE1975 5 лет назад +24

    That man could read the dictionary and make it sound so interesting. He made Frederick proud that day

  • @IvanIvan-so6se
    @IvanIvan-so6se 4 года назад +6

    I will read more of Frederick Douglass writings. So articulate, profound and powerful!

  • @stoneyll
    @stoneyll 5 лет назад +184

    High Five to James Earl Jones~!
    High Five to the late Howard Zinn.
    Peace begins from within..

    • @billytheweasel
      @billytheweasel 5 лет назад

      Fewclothes!

    • @nikolademitri731
      @nikolademitri731 5 лет назад +1

      Stoney Curtis I’m pretty sure Kurt Vonnegut is up there with them too, or at least the guy in the back that it briefly shows flipping through pages sure kooks like Vonnegut.

    • @nikolademitri731
      @nikolademitri731 5 лет назад

      I do not understand this thread.. 😆

    • @SAPHYTYRA
      @SAPHYTYRA 5 лет назад +2

      Peace begins with justice

    • @chancegoode173
      @chancegoode173 5 лет назад

      High five to the creator, of this work of art, Frederick Douglas

  • @jasonnunez9149
    @jasonnunez9149 5 лет назад +149

    It should be more blacks young and old should comment on James Earl Jones speech of Mr fredric Douglas fourth of July speech wow power to my people

    • @dellamcghee468
      @dellamcghee468 5 лет назад +3

      Right On! brotha. Mr. James Earl Jonea did an Outstanding job! Shalom

    • @pyramidpilots6491
      @pyramidpilots6491 5 лет назад

      Why is that? Do we not live it?

  • @WumboGuy
    @WumboGuy 3 года назад +39

    I listen to this speech every year, happy "independence" day America.

    • @christagreen729
      @christagreen729 3 года назад +8

      As do I. And I also play it for the fam so that we can bond over FD’s genius and eloquence for telling the truth.

    • @allegrabraun7545
      @allegrabraun7545 3 года назад

      🇺🇸

    • @allegrabraun7545
      @allegrabraun7545 3 года назад +3

      @@christagreen729 ❤

    • @rodeoclownobama5796
      @rodeoclownobama5796 2 года назад

      them blm wern't worth a fk then and you still aren't, you were bought not sold, blame your own kind who sold you to the british, even mlk said his own kind is the problem

  • @carolynevans1429
    @carolynevans1429 4 года назад +51

    Fred was a gangsta with the added gift of eloquence! This is about the best “f-you” I’ve ever heard.

    • @grazianalu76
      @grazianalu76 4 года назад +2

      People do not want to hear the truth and unfortunately do not even know history because it has been hiden from them and told lies to justify the tyranny that took place!!!

    • @chase4846
      @chase4846 4 года назад +1

      👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

    • @ellenlanot6175
      @ellenlanot6175 2 года назад

      Funny but so true

  • @catnekokotyonok5180
    @catnekokotyonok5180 5 лет назад +65

    Brilliant! ❤ I would love to have been able to witness the faces of those Rochester Ladies!

    • @blkcatzette
      @blkcatzette 5 лет назад +11

      I would have love to be in the room as well. I believe they were in awe. And not because it's an awesome oration, but because the truth was being put on front street, today's vernacular.

  • @count783
    @count783 5 лет назад +17

    Holy shit I got chills, man

  • @marcus2491
    @marcus2491 5 лет назад +3

    " it is not light that's needed, but the fire! It's not showers but the storm!" many times reading his autobiography and even now I shed tears for the ancestors and those of us here today in this demonic chaos!

  • @AfrodityJones
    @AfrodityJones Год назад +2

    Powerful! Many of us feel this way today!

  • @alfunskamara6793
    @alfunskamara6793 5 лет назад +6

    Frederick Douglass are those worth to be praised. Standing up against the oppressor and tell them the truth in their faces are the top heroes.

  • @shawnb.1197
    @shawnb.1197 5 лет назад +229

    We the children of ex - slaves have lost the meaning of the holidays we now celebrate without knowing the truth behind them. Thank you for the wake up call.

    • @rrbabygirrl4822
      @rrbabygirrl4822 4 года назад +6

      Sad thing is..not all of us will get this

    • @claudiafahey1353
      @claudiafahey1353 4 года назад +5

      @Ms. Elizabeth oh no... no one here wants to hear what actually happened...it ruins their whole outlook on life...they want to remain on the plantation, only now its mostly in their minds...sad

    • @eryndelosreyes8224
      @eryndelosreyes8224 4 года назад +4

      Lots of people celebrate things that they have no idea where it originated or what it represents. Not saying it's a great idea but people just like to party.

    • @xwheezeyx
      @xwheezeyx 4 года назад +2

      @@willieross3745 how small minded. Missed the message about liberty and freedom to focus on the point of leaving here if it is not appreciated. If we all go back to where we came from, we would be with the Lord. If you do not believe in the Lord, than we would all go back to the dark times of tribalism and distrust. Would you not rather stay here and learn from both the errors and successes of those before us? Would you rather not show grace and love your neighbor- or even tolerate them? We are all migrants. Let's all show show courtesy to our guests and be gracious hosts.

    • @SirSly420
      @SirSly420 4 года назад +4

      Wake up call? Stfu this speech is from 1852 . if you think this speech still holds true in 2020 then you're deranged and delusional. Quit blurring the lines between the modern day and the distant past. Almost 170 years have past since this speech was given at the time he was 100% right but no not today. Every citizen in America should be proud of the 4th of July in 2020 . this is the most free, diverse and inclusive country on the planet.

  • @oscarhendricks3204
    @oscarhendricks3204 4 года назад +207

    This eloquent speech is still relevant today. What a shame

    • @jordanabeaulieu2530
      @jordanabeaulieu2530 4 года назад +5

      Which is why I don't see why Black Americans celebrate "Independence Day" when they were Slaves on July 4, 1776. How does that day apply to you? What is the significance to you? Is it just an occasion to have a cookout?

    • @johnwalters7415
      @johnwalters7415 4 года назад +6

      @@jordanabeaulieu2530 if you don't believe it's any better than you are in bad shape. look at all of the blacks that have made it to the top

    • @9432515
      @9432515 4 года назад +1

      Cry baby.

    • @blessingsaflow4854
      @blessingsaflow4854 4 года назад +3

      It's heart wrenching, my dear friend, that THIS is still relevant TODAY. Crying

    • @sunlyon42
      @sunlyon42 4 года назад +2

      Beautiful speech! I love this speech!!

  • @brittiney8677
    @brittiney8677 2 года назад +23

    Almost 300 years later and this is still such a relevant piece of art. His words ring true in 2022.

  • @seankhmaat8869
    @seankhmaat8869 5 лет назад +8

    Very Powerful.

  • @Dani_sister4peace
    @Dani_sister4peace 5 лет назад +10

    I wish there was someone running for president who had his voice and gift for speaking! I could listen to this great man all day long

    • @edwardthames9003
      @edwardthames9003 Год назад +2

      I wish someone with or without his voice ran for POTUS that' more importantly, understood and actually meant what the spirit of the passage he read conveys.

  • @carnelanderson1732
    @carnelanderson1732 Год назад +2

    THE BEST SPEECH IN AMERICAN HISTORY!!!!! MOST POWERFUL!!!!

  • @erlo5189
    @erlo5189 4 года назад +6

    July 4, 2020
    Never a better time to hear this than today

  • @jamesrankins4106
    @jamesrankins4106 5 лет назад +11

    Frederick Douglas Always Deserves The FIST PUMP OF Righteousness

  • @jankorinek2397
    @jankorinek2397 5 лет назад +63

    Your channel has become a part of my ongoing self - education. Thank you very much. Greetings from the Czech republic, Central Europe.

    • @kloschuessel773
      @kloschuessel773 5 лет назад

      Jan Kořínek just be careful m8. Serves a purpose and has its place but you will end up with a very distorted view of the world when you rely on these far right leftists to educate yourself.
      Maybe watch libertypen videos. Or ayn rand.
      Just to balance this stuff out.
      From germany

    • @joeavreg2254
      @joeavreg2254 5 лет назад

      Oh well if we can trust the right wing of any country it's Germany...

    • @kloschuessel773
      @kloschuessel773 5 лет назад

      Joe Avreg lol
      „Right wing“ - socialists...?!
      Just so nice to see these morally superior humans like you always taking the same low approach.

    • @joeavreg2254
      @joeavreg2254 5 лет назад

      Surprise a German that knows nothing about nazis. They were/are fascists. It's just true that it's an ultra-right wing ideology. The first people rounded up and put in the first concentration camp were the left wingers, many of whom were the members of the party he had been fighting because they weren't willing to be ultra-right wing fascists like Hitler, the child molesting, incestuous, dog beating creepy weirdo and necrophile.

    • @kloschuessel773
      @kloschuessel773 5 лет назад

      Joe Avreg lol
      Surprise.
      A left wing nut socialists that doesnt know that hitler in fact was a socialist.
      Socialism was his preferred economic order, if you like it or not.
      Socialists in russia also shot other socialists.
      Socialists in south america shot and killed other socialists.
      What does that prove?
      Just a stupid point...
      Stalin was a socilist and so was mao...
      They killed even more.
      Socialism and things run by centralists or bureaucrats generally tend to be corrupted.
      Thats the flaw of socialism.
      Free markets arent perfect.
      Nothing is.
      Deal with it.

  • @charleslucas1784
    @charleslucas1784 5 лет назад +1

    This speech is more needed now than ever. JEJ is not only a legendary actor, but a soldier for freedom justice and equality.

  • @luisc2975
    @luisc2975 4 года назад +2

    I feel like he was both reading from the script and speaking from the heart. The power of James Earl Jones. Remember!!!🦁

  • @GabrielleFreedom
    @GabrielleFreedom 5 лет назад +14

    Thank you for this DN and Amy and JE Jones and Frederick Douglas. Blessings to all. ❤️✌🏼

  • @mmckenz89
    @mmckenz89 5 лет назад +22

    I could hear this man read doctor seuss and I'll still be in amazement.
    Real history, no alternative facts.

    • @powell4661
      @powell4661 2 года назад +1

      My mom was an historian and professor and taught classes til she was 84, continued research and writing til 90. She tried to retire from teaching at 62, but went back to it because she said they stopped teaching "real history" and "hard history."

  • @exxitboxx5730
    @exxitboxx5730 5 лет назад +3

    I have always felt this way of the 4th of July without any knowledge of this great speech. I'm proud that my views about this and many other things in society have not obstructed my belief system. Thanks for this confirmation.

  • @BrandenFudgey
    @BrandenFudgey 5 лет назад +4

    God bless America, I pray our country will strive to grow and develop as we still have a long journey ahead of us! What a crucial part of our history! If we want to “make America great”, we need to understand each other, our histories, and what is required of each individual American to truly help our country develop!

  • @sgmares
    @sgmares 5 лет назад +91

    Mind blowing speach...why didn't we hear this speach growing up! I will listen to this speach every 4th of July.

    • @reyes2446
      @reyes2446 4 года назад

      Listen to the full version. Not this one edited to excite hate.

    • @GamingASMR_x
      @GamingASMR_x 3 года назад +10

      @@reyes2446 to exite hate? its nothing but the truth

    • @tray22
      @tray22 2 года назад

      @Reivax Nyc It was true for the time he gave the speech. 10-15 years after that speech, the Civil War would occur, and many whites would kill other whites to free all slaves. Even though anti-slavery supporters won the day, anyone with white skin is considered privileged and a racist just for being born white. We as a country need to stop blaming the sins of our past generations on people with only the same outward skin color. I harbor no hate in my heart for any person or group of people. The same should be the case for those who claim I am the enemy.

    • @windwaker105
      @windwaker105 2 года назад +6

      You know why it isn’t taught

    • @princesskitty9651
      @princesskitty9651 2 года назад +6

      @@reyes2446 it’s not inciting hate it’s the truth & history 🤷🏽‍♀️ you want to bar ppl from learning the truth

  • @realbeautyness25
    @realbeautyness25 5 лет назад +11

    It still rings TRUE TODAY ❤️✌️

  • @caseyhowell2220
    @caseyhowell2220 2 года назад +4

    Spoken on the day July 5, the day I was born 1971 not into slavery but as a free baby, my heart goes out to all those babies born into this world as slaves and died as enslaved people

  • @alwayne5932
    @alwayne5932 5 лет назад +13

    Words of truth..from a Legend and a real HERO..in his time and now in this time blessed be the truth from MR F.D

  • @kingdomwatchmanministries2230
    @kingdomwatchmanministries2230 5 лет назад +5

    Wooow...what a leader that should be thought in school all over the world!

    • @dellamcghee468
      @dellamcghee468 5 лет назад

      Yes...all of the slaves true history should be taught in schools globally! They're not because; of the deceit and lies.

  • @johnsutter6912
    @johnsutter6912 5 лет назад +731

    Native people's don't care much for the date either! IJS

    • @larryardoin1236
      @larryardoin1236 5 лет назад +43

      i don't think anyone's listening! say it again louder for those with their ears covered!

    • @lindiwengwevela524
      @lindiwengwevela524 5 лет назад +99

      Indigenous people were independent before the White man stole their land.

    • @grayrachelle
      @grayrachelle 5 лет назад +14

      With good reason.

    • @lillanthompson9086
      @lillanthompson9086 5 лет назад +9

      @@lindiwengwevela524 true

    • @mr.motivation3797
      @mr.motivation3797 5 лет назад +6

      @@lindiwengwevela524 Whatever helps you sleep at night. Who did they steal it from first? Because Indians were not native to this land. Nor were they being reasonable in killing new PEACEFUL settlers. They started a war they couldnt finish. Your point?

  • @acmcgowan751
    @acmcgowan751 Год назад +1

    I love James Earl Jones readings. He's just so perfect. God bless him.

  • @johnchampion4218
    @johnchampion4218 2 года назад +1

    So true, and what American's need to hear today

  • @staceytakenalive1232
    @staceytakenalive1232 5 лет назад +7

    Bold and brave every word spoken in the given speech, how dare he!!

  • @pootytang2872
    @pootytang2872 5 лет назад +11

    who still bumpin this in 2019?

  • @latetrickwatts4047
    @latetrickwatts4047 5 лет назад +1

    I’m a 47 y.o. BLACK Man...and this speech blew my mind...not because of it’s beautiful content...simply because... I have never heard it before! Thanks Mr. Douglas and Mr Jones(both are literary geniuses)... that’s real talk!!!

  • @risingborikenamaru-kan6591
    @risingborikenamaru-kan6591 5 лет назад +15

    Democracy Now ,that was much appreciated . History has many sides . And our history is usually hidden. Thank you. New subcriber right here

  • @jochanaan58
    @jochanaan58 5 лет назад +7

    Legendary words and a legendary voice.

  • @katjones8963
    @katjones8963 5 лет назад +35

    Wow!!!!! What I didn't know about the 4th of July. This was very eye opening. Thank you for this.

  • @edjones8815
    @edjones8815 4 года назад +2

    Poignant words repeated approximately 150 years later by an iconic and haunting voice.

  • @frantzymerisier9661
    @frantzymerisier9661 2 года назад +1

    Perfect reading always and Frederick Douglas was 💯 % right!!!

  • @tajmuhammad9688
    @tajmuhammad9688 5 лет назад +8

    James Earl Jones we love you.
    Big thanks to mr Jones on Behalf of English speaking people for Reading this wonderful words of mr Douglas.
    Religious freedom is the Foundation of Democratic Values.

  • @vjjunlimited
    @vjjunlimited 5 лет назад +48

    James Earl Jones can read anything to me all day. 😊

    • @dellamcghee468
      @dellamcghee468 5 лет назад +1

      He has an anointed voice for sure, and used it for a very powerful.and mighty speech. Shalom

    • @nosbigem
      @nosbigem 5 лет назад

      Rosa West Yep, I would listen to him read the phone book.

    • @julietfischer5056
      @julietfischer5056 4 года назад

      @@nosbigem - Jay Leno once had him read a list of words. He made 'guppy' sound good.

    • @christopherlambert1711
      @christopherlambert1711 2 года назад

      Enough of the way he sounds!!! Are you understanding the MESSAGE???

  • @selinaantoniagraves5418
    @selinaantoniagraves5418 5 лет назад

    Thanks you Mr. Jones for reading with your lovely voice. God bless you.

  • @marvintravick6728
    @marvintravick6728 Год назад +2

    Beautiful truths!!

  • @florigian5379
    @florigian5379 5 лет назад +30

    I read the whole of this speech earlier today, taking many notes and sometimes having to read it’s brilliance aloud to my brother as he came in and out of the room. It never denounced the constitution, on the contrary, but it did call to carpet anybody of the day who loudly or silently supported slavery in any way, especially the church of the north and south. It denounced the, then new, Fugitive Slave Law and the ills it surely had already commenced to bring throughout the country. I believe he was a man of faith in and imparted wisdom from Jesus Christ. He abhorred the fact that some stood by as if they did not know the inhumanity of slavery. This entire speech should be required reading for seminary students and high schoolers everywhere especially America. And through such diligence, the serpent of slavery may never rear it’s ugly head again and is most definitely eradicated in all forms from the earth. I encourage you to read the whole thing.

    • @greganderson6849
      @greganderson6849 2 года назад

      Then maybe he SHOULD HAVE denounced the constitution. Its was not then or now divinely inspired and beyond reproach...........as its many amendments lay bare.

    • @berachtdorian6191
      @berachtdorian6191 2 года назад

      @@greganderson6849 Yes. The Constitution is thoroughly pagan, absolutely anti-Christian.

    • @florigian5379
      @florigian5379 2 года назад +1

      @@greganderson6849 Maybe so. I discerned sincerity in his words at the time I read it. I hope I will still hear that through the knowledge and wisdom I have been blessed to gain since then. We'll see.

    • @lorettamemphis
      @lorettamemphis 2 года назад

      I agree this this should be required history especially to blacks the truth biblical Israelites. I no longer or will ever celebrate any of man's holidays. I only celebrate God's feast days from the bible

    • @Sundayschoolnetwork
      @Sundayschoolnetwork Год назад

      Sadly, slavery exists in many parts of the world still.

  • @debraanderson9658
    @debraanderson9658 5 лет назад +14

    Bravo James Earl Jones this is one of my favorite favorite speeches bravo bravo Frederick would be proud I see his face smiling 🇺🇸♥️💎😇🐟⚔️🛡️👑🔥🕊️✝️🎇✔️

  • @freeplax17
    @freeplax17 2 года назад +1

    Listen to this speech every 4th of July.

  • @dennistaylor9795
    @dennistaylor9795 2 года назад +1

    I couldn't have spoken this speech any better

  • @redstatesaint
    @redstatesaint 5 лет назад +343

    In other words, Douglas to white people:
    I find your lack of faith in freedom disturbing.

    • @benyaminj.akadarrkknyt5273
      @benyaminj.akadarrkknyt5273 5 лет назад +4

      Lol

    • @kareemsmith8957
      @kareemsmith8957 5 лет назад +1

      Not funny mutt

    • @NJLev
      @NJLev 5 лет назад +3

      There were also black slave owners FYI.

    • @GerardFreeman
      @GerardFreeman 5 лет назад

      😆😆😆

    • @vanderson5226
      @vanderson5226 5 лет назад +29

      @@NJLev I heard of one black man in the early 1600s but the rest of the black people that owed slaves were their family members that they bought back from white slave owners. Then white people wrote laws that we couldn't own shit and if we did they took it

  • @Be1More
    @Be1More 5 лет назад +4

    He was such an eloquent scholar.

  • @toddhayes3506
    @toddhayes3506 10 месяцев назад

    Great Job Frederick Douglas and James Earl Jones! Blessed

  • @Abraham_Tsfaye
    @Abraham_Tsfaye 5 лет назад +11

    What a voice. What a recitation. Only James Earl Jones can do that.

  • @brandoncrumpton9900
    @brandoncrumpton9900 5 лет назад +16

    Still relevant to this day

  • @TheSapphirelady01
    @TheSapphirelady01 9 часов назад

    This speech still resonates in 2024.

  • @wonathancopeland8327
    @wonathancopeland8327 2 года назад +2

    Great words from a great man recited by a great man.

  • @juliehenderson1672
    @juliehenderson1672 5 лет назад +238

    Time has passed, but slaves still exist at $7.50 minimum wage. Liberty and Justice are NOT for all.

    • @joancarrington7635
      @joancarrington7635 5 лет назад +8

      Slave trade still goes on in Africa today, with the full participation of black leaders. It's time blacks face their own humiliating history during slavery: when Africans learned of the value of the slaves, tribes immediately went to war with one another for over 100 years, just to sell their own people for profit. That’s quite a subject for Black History Month. If blacks themselves didn't have respect or compassion for their own race, why should anyone else?

    • @davidbosankoe3759
      @davidbosankoe3759 5 лет назад +19

      @B N Braughton Tell that to trafficked individuals. And there is such thing as debt slavery.

    • @bonitaroache73
      @bonitaroache73 5 лет назад +4

      You couldn't have said it any better that Julie, that's the most eloquent and simple statement, I've heard yet. You are Woke!!!🙂 I've already given myself my own Declaration of Independence over 10 years ago. All I would add is we need to abolish the Slavery of;
      the Federal Reserve...
      the IRS...
      the American Empire...
      the American Police State...
      and the Welfare/Warfare State...
      Frederick Douglass had it right, "I did not know I was a Slave until I found out what I could not do". What a more fitting indictment of the relationship between the American Public and the United States Government...

    • @thecaveofthedead
      @thecaveofthedead 5 лет назад +33

      There are convicts working for 14c an hour who were convicted of nonviolent offences and disproportionately imprisoned because of their race. That is genuine slavery in the traditional sense.

    • @thomashorter
      @thomashorter 5 лет назад +15

      ... there are still actual slaves in this country. They are usually sex slaves or tomato pickers. Just fyi. Numbers are unknown because they count offenses by incident rather than number of individuals within an incident.

  • @anthonytaylor7928
    @anthonytaylor7928 5 лет назад +9

    Dam when James Earl spoke it felt like I was automatically transported in a time machine or something

  • @ericburton4705
    @ericburton4705 4 года назад +3

    I really enjoyed this speech. Never forget history

  • @darkj3di336
    @darkj3di336 4 года назад +1

    Powerfully spoken .

  • @paultrought267
    @paultrought267 5 лет назад +192

    Hypocrisy Is the Constitution of the United States of America.

    • @tuckerfrd1
      @tuckerfrd1 5 лет назад +4

      Why would any caring and thoughtful people choose to build the principle of what is so good and just, on what we know today as so bad and wrong? It would be like the German people 235 years from now start placing Adolf Hitler ideas in it's constitution and justifying his only slight antiquated misdeeds . . . . then washing it all down with "preserving history".

    • @AgainstAllOddz
      @AgainstAllOddz 5 лет назад +9

      Exactly Why do only black people need civil rights after 13th and 14th amendments. However we still weren't equal . no equal rights still this day

    • @lindar.4882
      @lindar.4882 5 лет назад +1

      Paul Trought do you live in this country?

    • @paultrought267
      @paultrought267 5 лет назад +1

      @@lindar.4882 Affirmative.

    • @tuckerfrd1
      @tuckerfrd1 5 лет назад +3

      . . . . and living here matters what?

  • @trmarple
    @trmarple 5 лет назад +3

    Powerful

  • @joseecheagaray7620
    @joseecheagaray7620 4 года назад +3

    Very brave man, telling it how it is.

  • @marcuservin2167
    @marcuservin2167 2 года назад

    Poignant and Powerful Truth 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

  • @EB-ok3io
    @EB-ok3io 5 лет назад +3

    It’s astounding how true these words are even today