Independence Day 2021

Happy Independence Day! (This post is mostly reruns of good stuff.)

First up, here's NPR's annual reading of the Declaration of Independence:

Next up, in 2020, NPR asked descendants of Frederick Douglass to deliver excerpts from his speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”



You can read the full speech here. The descendants' names and ages are listed on the YouTube page here. NPR notes that "this video was inspired by Jennifer Crandall's documentary project" Whitman, Alabama.

Moving to music, Marvin Gaye provides the sublime, with one of my all-time favorite renditions of the national anthem:



The Muppets provide some silliness and enthusiasm:



Finally, Pete Seeger provides an undeniable spark, singing his pal Woody Guthrie's most famous song:



I hope everyone has a good and safe Independence Day.