In 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a speech titled "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" in which he criticized the hypocrisy of celebrating American independence while slavery still existed in the country. Douglass argued that the Fourth of July was a day that revealed to enslaved people the gross injustice and cruelty to which they were constantly subjected. He stated that the celebration of American liberty was a sham and that the existence of slavery in the country made a mockery of the nations ideals of freedom and equality. Douglass also acknowledged the bravery and greatness of the nations founders but pointed out the disparity between their ideals and the reality of slavery.