On July 5, 1852, the formerly enslaved abolitionist Frederick Douglass delivered his scathing Independence Day speech about the paradox of patriotism in an America that had passed its second federal Fugitive Slave Act. This notorious 1850 legislation required law enforcement to arrest people they suspected of escaping slavery, on even the thinnest of evidence. It also made feeding and sheltering runaways a crime punishable by six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.

After praising the “the truly great” and “brave” signers of the Declaration of Independence, Douglass asked his Rochester, New York, audience one of the most memorable rhetorical questions in U.S. history:

“What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?”

(His answer: “a sham…” “an unholy license…” “hollow mockery…” “mere bombast, fraud, deception and hypocrisy...”)

Inspired by Douglass’ famous question, 20 people ensnared in this country’s sprawling criminal legal system answered this variation of it regarding the significance of the Fourth of July:

“What, to the currently or formerly incarcerated American, is your Fourth of July?”

1. Franklin McPherson, 38
Shawangunk Correctional Facility, Wallkill, New York

As a modern-day American slave — because that’s what I am, thanks to a loophole in the 13th Amendment that still allows enslavement as a punishment for crime — the significance of the Fourth of July is full of heartache, embarrassment and disappointment. It’s also a cruel reminder of how the criminal legal system is violating my 8th Amendment rights against cruel and unusual punishment.

So every Fourth of July — with a range of emotions — I cry in my cell. I’m sad and confused about how a nation can celebrate Independence Day when it forces millions of prisoners to be reliant on the state for their basic needs.

And I’m angry and frustrated because people should be marching and rallying for Congress to [amend] the 13th Amendment and for New York state to stop using slave code-style laws on its prisoners.

Read the full article about the significance of the Fourth of July at The Marshall Project.