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Frederick Douglass escaped slavery in 1838, educated himself, and became one of the most powerful orators, writers, and moral voices in American history. His autobiographies, his newspaper The North Star, and his speeches across America and Britain made the case for Black humanity and American hypocrisy with a precision and passion that no counterargument could touch. The July 5, 1852 speech — "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" — is considered one of the greatest speeches in the history of the English language.

The day after America's 250th birthday is the right day for Douglass's question. Not to diminish the celebration, but to hold it to account. Douglass loved America and believed in its founding ideals more fiercely than almost anyone — which is exactly why he could not let the gap between the ideal and the reality go unnamed. He said what needed saying, on the day after the fireworks, when people were still feeling patriotic enough to hear it. The question he asked in 1852 has not fully been answered. That is not a reason to stop asking. It is a reason to keep going.