Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick was schooled by Sen.Ted Cruz and Charles C.W. Cooke after his embarrassing attempt to slam America on Independence Day.
The Nike brand ambassador took the time to post a video on the Fourth of July with a pre-Civil War quote by abolitionist Frederick Douglass and was promptly exposed for misleading and missing the “context” of the words spoken by Douglass nearly a decade before the Civil War began.
“What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? This Fourth of July is yours, not mine…There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour,” Douglass said in the portion of the speech Kaepernick shared on Twitter.
“What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? This Fourth of July is yours, not mine…There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour.”
– Frederick Douglass pic.twitter.com/IWLujGCJHn— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) July 4, 2019
The text was accompanied by a graphic video montage with images of slavery, lynchings, the KKK and recent videos of police abuse of African-Americans. The images played out with a voice reading from Douglass’ speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” which was given on July 5, 1852 at a meeting of the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, N.Y.
Nine years later, the Civil War broke out and, with the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of American lives, ended with the freedom of slaves.
Kaepernick’s tweet gave no other commentary other than the video and portion of the speech by Douglass. He was soon given a much-needed lesson in history – and truthfulness.
“You quote a mighty and historic speech by the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass,” Sen. Cruz tweeted, “but, without context, many modern readers will misunderstand.”
You quote a mighty and historic speech by the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass, but, without context, many modern readers will misunderstand. Two critical points: https://t.co/x4oLfa9DrH
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 5, 2019
The Texas Republican followed with a series of tweets giving the necessary “context” and other parts of the speech that give a clearer perspective on the words of Douglass, who was not delivering the message as a complete condemnation of America but offering hope for the future based on the nation’s founding documents and principles.
(1) This speech was given in 1852, before the Civil War, when the abomination of slavery still existed. Thanks to Douglass and so many other heroes, we ended that grotesque evil and have made enormous strides to protecting the civil rights of everybody.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 5, 2019
(2) Douglass was not anti-American; he was, rightly and passionately, anti-slavery. Indeed, he concluded the speech as follows:
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 5, 2019
Cruz then shared another portion of the same Douglass speech.
“Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented, of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country.
“There are forces in operation, which must inevitably, work the downfall of slavery. ‘The arm of the Lord is not shortened,’ and the doom of slavery is certain.
“I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. While drawing encouragement from ‘the Declaration of Independence,’ the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age.”
Cruz followed with another tweet encouraging everyone to read the entirety of Douglass’ speech along with a link to the full text.
Let me encourage everyone, READ THE ENTIRE SPEECH; it is powerful, inspirational, and historically important in bending the arc of history towards justice: https://t.co/il9WNrmxho
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 5, 2019
Kaepernick, who made headlines this week after his reported opposition to a planned release of a Nike sneaker featuring an early version of the U.S. flag. Nike pulled the Betsy Ross shoe from production, sparking a wave of backlash just ahead of the national holiday.
Author and editor of National Review Online, Charles C. W. Cooke, also called out the former San Francisco 49ers player with another portion of Douglass’ speech, conveniently not addressed by Kaepernick.
“Interpreted as it ought to be interpreted, the Constitution is a GLORIOUS LIBERTY DOCUMENT. Read its preamble, consider its purposes. Is slavery among them? Is it at the gateway? or is it in the temple? It is neither.” — Frederick Douglass
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 5, 2019
“Now, take the Constitution according to its plain reading, and I defy the presentation of a single pro-slavery clause in it. On the other hand it will be found to contain principles and purposes, entirely hostile to the existence of slavery.” — Frederick Douglass
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 5, 2019
He added quotes from the same section as Cruz before delivering a scathing rebuke to Kaepernick for giving an “impression wholly unsupported by the evidence.”
All of these quotes, @Kaepernick7, are contained within the same speech that you quoted. Are you afflicted by some ugly malady that prevents you from finishing reading a document? Or did you just want to provide an impression wholly unsupported by the evidence?
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 5, 2019
But hey, if you want to side with the presumptions of the Cornerstone Speech and against those of Lincoln and Douglass, have at it. Happy 4th.
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 5, 2019
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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