HE meant if freedom is for America then why isnt a black man? A African American is in apart of America than why isnt he free like the rest?
he originally gave the speech to the Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, New York
here is a summary of the speech:
While still a young slave in Maryland, Frederick Douglass taught himself to read, whereupon he discovered that he was as capable of thinking and reasoning as any free man, and therefore ought to be free. Upon making good his escape to New York, Douglass earned wide renown as an outspoken and eloquent critic of the institution of slavery. In this speech before a sizeable audience of New York abolitionists, Douglass reminds them that the Fourth of July, though a day of celebration for white Americans, was still a day of mourning for slaves and former slaves like himself, because they were reminded of the unfulfilled promise of equal liberty for all in the Declaration of Independence.
here is the full speech : sorry i have to leave it in the comments since it wont let me here