Featuring: Larry Kenneth Alexander
Transcript:
Let us gather today in the spirit of truth, justice, and reflection. As we celebrate Black History Month, we must confront the foundations of this nation, its contradictions, complexities, and the possibilities it offers for redemption. When Thomas Jefferson penned the immortal words, “All men are created equal,” he gave voice to a revolutionary idea. Yet, for too long, those words have been interpreted narrowly, used to exclude instead of include. History tells us something far more profound. There is evidence within the Declaration of Independence itself that its promise of equality extended to Black colonials.
Look closely at the grievances against King George III, and you’ll find something remarkable. The founders condemned the king for “abolishing our most valuable laws” and “fundamentally altering our government.” These “valuable laws” were, in part, the British policies that had dismantled the institution of slavery in the colonies. In 1766, the British Parliament enacted the Declaratory Act, abolishing colonial slave codes and Negro laws that sought to oppress and dehumanize Black people. Just six years later, in 1772, the landmark ruling in Somerset v. Stewart declared that slavery was not permitted under English law unless explicitly authorized by Parliament. This was not a minor technicality but a legal and judicial determination that drove a stake into the heart of slavery three years before America’s Revolution began in 1775.
By decrying the abolition of these “valuable laws” in July 1776, the founders implicitly acknowledged that Black colonials were part of the fabric of the colonies, protected under British law. The Declaration, then, becomes more than just a document of rebellion against tyranny—it reveals a tension, one that recognized the rights of all people, even as the new nation failed to uphold those rights for everyone. But as the Revolutionary War expanded, fear took hold. The founders understood that British war policies posed a threat not only to colonial slavery but also to colonial independence itself. Benjamin Franklin’s warning, “We must all hang together, or most certainly, we will all hang separately,” underscored the urgency of unity among the colonists.
Yet, that unity came at a cost. Slaveholding patriots turned to brutal, repressive measures to prevent enslaved Black people from aligning with the British. Even abolition-minded leaders like John Adams set aside their convictions, choosing political expediency over moral courage. In their quest for independence from Britain, the new nation sacrificed the freedom of millions of Black men and women. This failure to honor the rule of law and the ideal of equality has reverberated through the centuries, shaping a nation that has often fallen short of its ideals.
And yet, the story does not end there because Black history is not just a history of oppression; it is a history of America. Black people in America have always understood the power of the Declaration’s words, even when the nation refused to honor them. Frederick Douglass, in 1852, reminded the world that the principles of the Declaration were not to be discarded but to be claimed by all who sought freedom. It was Black soldiers, many former slaves, fighting at places like Gettysburg during the Civil War; freedom fighters and civil rights activists during the 1960s in places like Selma, Alabama, who demanded that America live up to its highest ideals.
As we honor the past, let us also fight for the future—a future where the promises of the Declaration are fully realized, where no person is excluded from its protections, and where Black history is recognized as central to the American story. Please share and visit our website at Wells Center on American Exceptionalism and look for future videos in this series.