A Slave Is Someone Who Sits Down,

The Silver Trump Of Freedom Had Roused My Soul To Eternal Wakefulness. Freedom Now Appeared, To Disappear No More Forever. It Was Heard In Every Sound, And Seen In Every Thing.

The Constitution Of The United States Knows No Distinction Between Citizens On Account Of Color. Neither Does It Know Any Difference Between A Citizen Of A State And A Citizen Of The United States.

Heaven's Blessing Must Attend All, And Freedom Must Soon Be Given To The Pining Millions Under A Ruthless Bondage.

I Have Often Sung To Drown My Sorrow, But Seldom To Express My Happiness. Crying For Joy, And Singing For Joy, Were Alike Uncommon To Me While In The Jaws Of Slavery. The Singing Of A Man Cast Away Upon A Desolate Island Might Be As Appropriately Considered As Evidence Of Contentment And Happiness, As The Singing Of A Slave; The Songs Of The One And Of The Other Are Prompted By The Same Emotion.

I Am Not Included Within The Pale Of This Glorious Anniversary! Your High Independence 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. The Sunlight That Brought Life And Healing To You, Has Brought Stripes And Death To Me. This Fourth July Is Yours, Not Mine.