The Fourth of July is a poem by W.L. Garrison in 1844.  This piece is about life as a slave and how we should be asking God for forgiveness for our treatment of slaves. Garrison wrote this poem as a reminder to Americans that not everyone was able to enjoy the same freedoms on what we call Independence Day. Garrison was one of the most recognized anti-slavery advocates.  He was an abolitionist; he believed that slavery should not exist, people shouldn’t be treated as if they are property, and slaves should be freed and sent back to Africa. He published many articles in the Liberator, including this poem.  The Liberator was an anti-slavery journal where he voiced his views freely and even worked alongside Frederick Douglas, sharing his same views. This piece shows how there was a divide within the United States on whether or not slavery should be allowed.  In the North, people believed that slavery was not ethical and should be abolished, while in the South, people thought of slaves as free labor and did not want slaves to be free. This divide led to the civil war.

Garrison’s poem depicts an African American that is tied to the flagpole. This propaganda used by Garrison is to make the viewer have a deeper understanding of the lack of rights of African Americans and how they can not achieve their freedoms due to the laws in the South. Slaves were treated as property. They were bought and sold and did not have any choice in what happened to them. Many were ripped from their families and were beaten and possibly even killed if they tried to run away or fight back. The top of the flagpole shows a hat of liberty. In the illustration, it is out of reach of the man tied to the pole, another bite at the fact that slaves do not have the same rights as white men. Liberty is something that African Americans can not achieve because they are not given any rights as individuals. Liberty is there, but it is out of reach for African Americans.

Many people agreed with W.L. Garrison at the time, but not many would print their views in the newspaper.  White men were supposed to stick together, and African Americans were not even considered to be people at the time. They were thought not to have the same learning capacity, logistical skill, or even be able to learn basic information; because of this view, they were not held in any regard as an asset to society.  Due to this belief increased the anger of those who owned slaves and used them to do all the labor on their plantations.

Garrison truly believes that we can not celebrate when not all Americans are free.”Men like household goods or servile beasts, Are bought and sold, kidnapped and pirated;…..We will no longer multiply our boasts Of Liberty, till All are truly free.” How can we want to celebrate the freedoms of our country when not everyone is given the same liberties or allowed to make the same choices for themselves and their families? He believes we should want to see all Americans be free, and we should not take advantage of others. Garrison is very blunt in his word choice that these people are not here by choice. They are bought, sold, and kidnapped.  He also very abruptly adds that we should not boast civil liberties when all can not enjoy these freedoms and that until all are free, we should not consider our country a place of the freedmen.

http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-7540-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99