Learn more about destroyed Frederick Douglass statue, in Augmented Reality

On July 5, a replica of statue of abolitionist Frederick Douglass was knocked off its pedestal and destroyed in Rochester, NY. 

The timing is significant: on July 5, 1852, Douglass delivered his famous speech, “What to the slave is the fourth of July?”, pointing out the hypocrisy of celebrating independence when millions of Black people remained enslaved.

The destroyed statue was one of a dozen near-replicas of an original Douglass statue that dates back to the 1890s. The replicas, made in 2018 as part of a bicentennial celebration of Douglass’ birth, were located throughout Rochester in places significant to Douglass. 

A full interactive story looking at a replica statue of Douglass and his significance in the anti-slavery movement can be found within the Augmented Reality section of the USA TODAY app. To access "A memorial to Frederick Douglass":

Download the latest version of the USA TODAY app on your Android or iOS AR-capable device.

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