FREDERICK DOUGLASS’ REPLY to JULY FOURTH
“After the Fireworks” stage of the national celebration of 250 years on July 4th,
Peterboro NY will observe America’s Nationwide Day of Reflection on Sunday, July 5 at 2 pm
at the Peterboro United Methodist Church, 5240 Pleasant Valley Road, Peterboro NY 13134. Frederick Douglass’
1852 question What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? will be addressed for a reflection on the bicentennial.
Milton C. Sernett PhD will welcome the public to this annual program presented by the National Abolition Hall of
Fame and Museum (NAHOF) in Peterboro NY. Dr. Sernett, professor emeritus African American Studies, Syracuse
University, is an abolition scholar, author, and a popular speaker. Sernett is a founder and a Cabinet member of the
National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum and serves on the NAHOF Induction Committee. Among his published
books are NORTH STAR COUNTRY: Upstate New York and the Crusade for African American Freedom and
HARRIET TUBMAN: Myth, Memory, and History. Milt is also the creator of the exhibit The Chronology of American
Abolition installed at the Smithfield Community Center, 5255 Pleasant Valley Road, Peterboro NY 13134 for
Juneteenth week.
Owen D. Corpin, a native and current resident of Peterboro NY, whose family heritage traces directly to former
enslaved people who were freed by the local abolitionist Gerrit Smith, will deliver parts of one of Frederick Douglass’
most famous speeches. Corpin’s image, voice, and rendition help transport the audience to 1852 when FrederickDouglass was asked to present a speech on the Fourth of July at the Corinthian Hall in Rochester, to commemorate the
signing of the Declaration of Independence seventy years earlier. Douglass refused to speak on July 4th, but agreed to
do so the next day, stating “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice; I must mourn.” He asked, and
then explained and described, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
Corpin was an honor graduate of Morrisville-Eaton High School and a Trident Scholar from the United States Naval
Academy. He spent twenty years in the Navy as a Naval Aviator flying fighter aircraft making over five hundred
carrier landings during six deployments in defense of the United States. Performing in many assignments, including as
an NROTC instructor, Corpin earned a Master’s degree from Central Michigan University. After retiring from the
Navy at the rank of Commander, Owen was an EOP advisor at Morrisville State College for seventeen years. He is a
member of the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum Cabinet of Freedom and is the creator and chair of the
Watch Night program on the last day of each year.
Norman K. Dann PhD will describe the remarkable relationship of Douglass and Gerrit Smith of Peterboro NY. Dann,
professor emeritus Morrisville State College in Morrisville NY, is a founder of the National Abolition Hall of Fame
and Museum, head docent of the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark, and has published eleven books
about the Smith Family of Peterboro. His recent publication is BROTHERS in SPIRIT: Mutual Friendship and
Influence Between Frederick Douglass and Gerrit Smith.
The Lingo Family Singers of Peterboro will perform throughout the afternoon as the famous 19 th C. Hutchinson
Family Singers who toured America singing songs of reform and were also in Britain with Douglass in 1845. The
Hutchinson Family began musical performances in the 1840s in their home state of New Hampshire. The family wrote
songs which addressed the reforms of abolition, emancipation, temperance, and women’s rights. Much like the
Hutchinsons, The Lingo Family Singers' roots began on a farm filled with singing. Lowell started singing in local
churches, community theatre productions, and sang with the Syracuse Oratorio Society. His wife and children began
joining him by singing special music in the Welsh church in Nelson, and the Peterboro United Methodist Church.
Besides singing together in local churches, the family participated in community theatre. Robinson and Rebecca sang
in the Syracuse Children’s Chorus performing in concerts from Big Moose Lake to the Disney World Musical
Showcase in Orlando Florida. This year the Lingo Family Singers include grandson Liam Noble. The Lingo program
is made possible through the CNY Arts Grants for Regional Arts and Cultural Engagement regrant program thanks to
a New York State Senate Initiative supported by the NYS Legislature, the Office of the Governor and administered by
the New York State Council on the Arts.
The public is encouraged to attend this free program at
