What Frederick Douglass Thought of July 4th

"a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages" [Politics Brief from WNYC + Gothamist] [Keep friends and family informed. Forward the Politics Brief.]( What Frederick Douglass Thought of Independence Day By [James Ramsay]( A bronze statue of Douglass stands in the Emancipation Hall of the United States Visitor Center on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Carolyn Kaster/AP) In Thomas Jefferson's [original, handwritten draft]( of the Declaration of Independence, a word sticks out that was cut from the final version. Instead of referring to enslaved people as "slaves" or "property," he called them "men," in all capital letters. To this day, historians still argue about the intent there. Was Jefferson, a slaveholder himself, advocating for abolition? Or was he merely trying to reference freedom as much as possible, to score points against King George? Either way, Congress wouldn't abide by any condemnation of slavery. So, the passage was cut from the Declaration, and slavery and white supremacy became foundational to the United States. Which brings us to July 4, 1852, when Frederick Douglass, the writer and abolitionist who'd escaped slavery himself, was asked to give a speech to the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. It's one of the greatest speeches in U.S. history; it's also one that Kai Wright, host of The Stakes podcast, makes a point of reading every Independence Day. "What to the American slave is your Fourth of July?" Douglass said. "To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity ... your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy — a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages." Hear [this week's episode of The Stakes]( which features a reading of Douglass' speech by actor James Earl Jones. (And if you're looking for a road trip playlist for the holiday weekend, all seven episodes of The Stakes are available, wherever you get your podcasts). New York's Senate Democrats Just Added One More Person to Their Majority After six years of caucusing with the Republicans, Brooklyn Senator Simcha Felder returned to the Democratic conference this week. This past legislative session, unlike in previous years, Felder did back some progressive goals — driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants, tenant protections, gun control measures. So there are reasons to think he'll continue to align with his party going forward. There's also the possibility that the 2020 census will lead to a redrawing of Felder's heavily Orthodox Jewish district, and it would help a good deal to have the party's backing if he runs for re-election with a more diverse constituency. ([Gothamist]( The Return of Dante de Blasio How do you differentiate yourself in a field of [25]( Democratic presidential hopefuls? "Something sets me apart from my colleagues," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on a Democratic debate stage last week, "and that is for the last 21 years, I have been raising a black son in America." A son whose starring role in a campaign ad played a huge rule in de Blasio's 2013 mayoral win. A son who recently [wrote]( about racism at his alma mater, Brooklyn Tech, which is one of the city's specialized public high schools under scrutiny for its lack of black and brown students. And a son who just published another op-ed, this time in [USA Today]( about "the talk" his parents gave him about dealing with the police as a black man in America. Rebecca Katz, a former de Blasio staffer, told the Times that in a race full of like-minded, ideologically progressive candidates, the mayor's experience as a father would likely be central to his campaign. "He would not let a story be told about him without it being about his family," she said. ([The New York Times]( How Your Current District Attorney Compares to Tiffany Cabán Assuming the winner of last week's Democratic primary becomes the next district attorney, the Queens DA's office will likely become far more progressive than what the borough is used to. Cabán, the 31-year-old public defender who ran with support from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has called for decriminalizing sex work, ending cash bail, and declining to prosecute myriad low-level offenses. But the other four boroughs also have Democratic DAs, some of whom have already implemented things Cabán campaigned on. For example, Manhattan and Brooklyn have both stopped requiring bail for non-violent misdemeanors. Manhattan's DA, Cy Vance, no longer prosecutes cannabis possession cases, and Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez has vacated over 1,000 warrants for cannabis-related misdemeanors. And Darcel Clark, the DA for the Bronx, has said that sex workers can have their records expunged if they meet certain requirements. Staten Island DA Michael McMahon, who's firmly against reforming the cash bail system, is the most conservative of the city's prosecutors. Here's a complete rundown of where each DA stands in comparison to the woman who's likely to become the city's most progressive prosecutor. ([City & State]( New Jersey Beaches Are Open for the Holiday. What's There to Worry About? [Christie] Remember when a New Jersey government shutdown in 2017 led to a closure of state-run beaches for (nearly) everyone in the state? That's not happening this year, thanks to [the $38.7 billion state budget]( Gov. Phil Murphy passed on Sunday. So, why did Gov. Murphy close out the budget negotiation process by [accusing]( State Senate President Steve Sweeney of acting against "the will of the people?" For the second year in a row, the Democrat-controlled legislature denied Murphy his desired tax hike on individuals making over $1 million a year, instead passing their own version of the budget with a veto-proof majority. "[Murphy] is on a losing streak that's epic," the Star Ledger's Tom Moran [told WNYC](. "We could be looking at an era now that we've never seen before, where the governor becomes almost irrelevant." On the major legislative sticking point — the millionaire's tax — Murphy may have a case. Recent polling says that 72 percent of New Jerseyans support it. But publicly grousing about his political rivals isn't likely to help Murphy in the near term. "This raises the prospect of government by legislature," Moran said. "If the governor doesn't want to do something, they'll pass bills, he vetoes it, and then they override him with a veto-proof majority." New Jersey, this is what you have to look forward to. In the meantime, enjoy your holiday. And wear sunscreen. Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2019 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: New York Public Radio 160 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 [unsubscribe]( [update preferences]( [privacy policy](