250th Sunday Morning Forum Series

The Spirit of Religious and Civic Liberty

Sundays through July 5th
9:30 AM in the Parish House Forum Room

Available in person and via Zoom.
Click here to join via Zoom.

In this forum series celebrating America's 250th anniversary, we examine the intimate relationship between religious and civic freedom, as it led up to the American Revolution. We will examine selections from the writings of Roger Williams, William Penn, George Whitefield, and others, concluding with John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington.

July 5th: Special Forum with Dr. Cordelia Moyse.

Frederick Douglass and “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass (c. 1818–1895), who had escaped slavery and became the most important leader of the movement for African-American civil rights in the 19th century, delivered a scorching critique of American hypocrisy. In What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?, he masterfully contrasts the nation's soaring rhetoric of liberty with the brutal realities of slavery, arguing that the holiday is a painful mockery to enslaved Black Americans.

Dr Cordelia Moyse will discuss this document and Douglass’ life in preparation for its public reading at 2:00 PM at Bethel AME Church, Strawberry Street, Lancaster.

Click here to download an abridged version.

Available in person and via Zoom. Click here for the Zoom link.