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According to Douglass, black citizens had the same rights to life, liberty, and happiness as white citizens. Douglass argued that the Fourth of July is a reminder of the broken promises of the nation's founders. African-Americans were still enslaved and treated as second-class citizens, even though the nation's founding documents stated that "all men are created equal.". In his view, the Fourth of July reminded us of the hypocrisy of applying the nation's founding ideals of freedom and equality to African-Americans. His argument was that the day was not to celebrate freedom and independence, but rather to remind people of the injustice and oppression they faced.

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In his famous "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" speech, Douglass called on his audience to recognize the hypocrisy of celebrating the nation's Independence Day while black citizens were still enslaved and denied their basic rights. He argued that the founding principles of the nation, as outlined in the Declaration of Independence, were not being upheld for African-Americans, who were still considered property and treated as less than human. Douglass believed that the Fourth of July should serve as a reminder of the broken promises of the nation's founders, and the ongoing struggle for true freedom and equality for all citizens, particularly for African-Americans. He urged his audience to use this day not as a celebration of freedom, but as a call to action, to demand the rights and equality that all Americans deserved.