On March 23rd 1775, Delegate Patrick Henry, gave out his speech at St. John’s Church, Richmond Virginia in which he addresses the Second Virginia Convention’s president, Peyton Randolph, in which he asks him to raise an army and to fight back against Great Britain’s tyrannical regime, as they are being treated poorly and unfairly. Henry uses a vast amount of rhetorical choices including metaphors,paradox and rhetorical questions, in order to try and persuade the presidents and the people of the Nation that they must raise a militia in order to break apart from Great Britain and escape the tyrannical rein of parliament.The unfairness that the Colonies faced under the Monarch of Great Britain is no less than unfair.Which is why Patrick Henry …show more content…
By expressing how not only him but others are feeling it would appeal to the president and the people at the convention to raise an army and liberate themselves from Britain. The people at this time although being citizens of Britain were often treated unfairly which got most people the question why they still swore their loyalty towards the Crown.Patrick Henry was one of these people and in his speech he constantly used rhetorical questions throughout his speech to denounce the action of Britain. For example, Henry says Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? This refers to the British acknowledging the colonies and accepting them and in term loving the people of the colonies, But Henry highlights how the British have been sending fleets and armies to enforce certain laws.This shows that what the British are saying, and what they are doing, do not match.Which causes the people of the nation to realize that the king is acting like a dictator instead of a king who cares for his people which is the people are the convention to raise an army and break away from this type of
Patrick Henry’s effective diction emphasizes how much the British had suppressed the colonists and that it was time to fight for their freedom. Henry displays this through his strong use of pathos, logos, and ethos. His rhetorical questions really appeal to the logic and ethics of the colonists and leaves the no choice but to join him and rebel.
In the “Speech at the Virginia Convention” Patrick Henry tries to persuade colonists to fight a war against the English; he uses several main rhetorical strategies such as; parallelism, metaphor, and rhetorical questions.
At the Virginia convention in 1775 Patrick Henry spoke out anonymously about standing up to the British monarchy and gaining independence. His simple use of language and emotionally captivating passages inspired many to fight for a republic. Persuading the devout and loyal colonies to pull away from their mother country took courage.
Patrick Henry was known as “the Orator of Liberty” and created his name with his speeches. When colonists were divided in 1775, some were hoping to work it out but not Patrick Henry. He thought the only choice was to go to war with Great Britain. Henry uses ethos, pathos, and logos to show his clause for going to war with Britain.
There are few speeches in the American history that compel us towards great acts of patriotism. Patrick Henry's speech in the Virginia Provincial Convention of 1775 is a prime example of one of these great speeches. During the debates on whether or not to compromise with Great Britain, Patrick Henry proposed the idea to his fellow members of the First Continental Congress to declare war on Great Britain. A reason why the speech was so powerful was the rhetorical strategies of the diction of slavery, the appeal to God, and the appeal to logic, that he deftly employed.
During the mid 1700’s the new found America was struggling for independence from the British. This undetermined notion whether or not to declare war led to the Virginia Convention where, Governor Patrick Henry enforced our nation to engage in war. “Patrick Henry’s Speech in the Virginia Convention” emphasizes the importance of fighting for independence for the American nation, because we shouldn't be treated like slaves of the British. He persuades them to join the war effort enforcing a sense of patriotism to the members by using the rhetorical appeals of parallelism and repetition.
“Common sense will tell us, that the power which hath endeavored to subdue us, is of all others, the most improper to defend us.” Such words scribed by the Revolutionary radical Thomas Paine epitomized the drive behind the American Revolution of the 18th century. For nearly two hundred years, the citizens of the American Colonies had been fastened securely to the wrist of the mother country, England. They had tolerated the tyrannous rule, but not without the simmer of rebellious thoughts. As England piled tax after tax onto their colonies, thoughts of revolution and revolt sprung up in the minds of the colonists and brewed there, waiting for a catalyst to drive them into action. The catalyst ignited on January 10th, 1776 when Thomas Paine published his fiery pamphlet ‘Common Sense’. The 48-page pamphlet presented before the colonists a vision for independence that had never been conceived before. It radically altered the course of the Revolution and would later find itself molding the foundation of America’s government indefinitely.
The 1770s proved to be a time of much chaos and debate. The thirteen colonies, which soon gained their independence, were in the midst of a conflict with Great Britain. The colonies were suffering from repeated injuries and usurpations inflicted upon them by the British. As a result of these inflictions, Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry addressed these injustices, and proved to be very persuasive through providing reasoning and evidence that moved many colonists to believe that to reach contentment and peace the colonies had to rid themselves of British rule. These men's works were very effective, not only because of the rhetorical devices used, but also because Paine and Henry were passionate about the cause they were committed to.
Patrick Henry’s statements resonates with the colonists because it adequately captures their grievances and feelings against the British, who have made their lives exceedingly difficult. Unlike many Demagogues who use their words to gain personal power or control, Patrick Henry uses his words to rally the colonists towards a good common cause that ultimately leads to the creation of the strongest nation in the world. The power, conviction and language of Henry’s speech lead to a revolution that would go n to change the course of
In March of 1775, the words of Patrick Henry rang in the ears of his fellow Virginians. He stood in St John’s Church, located in Richmond, made an audacious public speech containing his opinions in relation to the colony’s next step of action in the war. This was not the first time that Henry stood in front of an audience to present a speech. Henry was known for speaking messages that people did not forget. Prior to this speech, Patrick Henry had made his name known by writing the ‘Virginia Resolutions’ against the despised Stamp Act. In the view point of this specific speech however, Henry spoke his opinion of the war starting and what he believed as truth. Virginia was the largest American Colony, with the House of Burgesses that was the longest-serving legislature that Virginia proudly claimed. Patrick Henry was also previously known for his incredible words and messages he had shared in the past. This speech went over the top compared to former speeches. As a known Christian man, Henry referenced an array of Biblical subjects throughout his speech “Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death”, in which his audience could take time to deeply digest. During this era, most Americans were Christians, making it easy for Henry to never quotes scripture directly, but imply it for his audience to grasp.
It is widely believed that if Patrick Henry had not given the speech “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” which influenced the start of the Revolutionary War, then America might still be under the rule of the British Monarchy. The Revolutionary War was the war when America regained their freedom from the British Monarchy in 1783. Henry is considered by many to be the best orator of his time. Patrick Henry was an attorney and politician; his most important characteristic was being one of America’s most renowned patriots. The effects of his speech were enriching and brought new hope to the American people. People present in the Church could only truly tell the atmosphere that remained at St. John’s Church after Henry concluded his speech. William Wirt (Biographer of Patrick Henry) tells how it felt in the Church, “He took his seat. No murmur of applause was heard. The effect was too deep. After the trance of a moment, several members started from their seats. The cry, ‘to arms!’ seemed to quiver on every lip and gleam from every eye.” The audience can easily connect with Henry’s speech due to the fact they believed in liberty and would protect it at any cost. The speech was so radical because of the pathos that was used. Henry’s use of allusion and antithesis helps develop pathos to convince the House of Burgesses that beginning the Revolutionary War with Great Britain is necessary, to prevent them from forcing America into submission and slavery, in the speech “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.”
In 1775, the American colonists were faced with a question that would lead to everlasting consequences on their newly developing nation. Due to the several unjust taxes Great Britain had forced them to pay, colonial America was torn into two. Those who sided with Great Britain became known as loyalists; however, those believed the colonies should declare independence became known as the patriots. Patrick Henry, a passionate American patriot, advocates to declare war upon the tyrannical nation of Great Britain in the speech “Speech in the Virginia Convention” that he delivers to the delegates at the Virginia Convention. Patrick Henry’s purpose in writing this speech is to inform the delegates that war with Great Britain is necessary and to encourage
Would America be the same nation today if it was not for some of our founding fathers and their contributions? If one were to take Patrick Henry out of this equation the answer could very easily be answered ‘yes’, for Henry played a very prominent role in the success of America’s independence. In the spring of 1775, Patrick Henry met with the second Virginia Convention to discuss the need for military mobilization against Britain’s immoral control over the colonies. Along with Richard Henry Lee and Thomas Jefferson, Henry co-created the Virginia House of Burgesses to help resolve to tumultuous state of the colonies. On March 23, Patrick Henry spoke to his fellow inhabitants of Virginia, in front of what is now St. John’s Church. He spoke with a fervorous intimacy that captured the attention of his audience, simultaneously demonstrating an undeniable support to fight the English rule. His use of rhetorical strategies throughout his speech tugged at the American patriot’s heartstrings, uniting supporters of the revolution to fight British tyranny.
Thomas Paine’s writings reminded the colonists of ideas, like that it was “better [to] have too much force than too little, when so great an object [was] at stake” (p.118). In regards to Britain’s intentions, Paine wrote, “the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf; and we ought to guard equally against both” (p. 119). Because he was in favor of the American Revolution, Thomas Paine’s writings painted Britain as an insidious force working against them, which convinced many colonists of the need for a revolution against Britain and reminded the soldiers to keep fighting their hardest. Emotional statements about the damage Britain was inflicting were used alongside loaded words such as “conquest” (p. 119), “tyranny” (p. 117), and “violence” (p. 119) to get Thomas Paine’s ideas on the actions of the British Parliament across in a powerful manner. The document’s influence on troops and colonists may have provided the extra bit of motivation that it took to win the American Revolution.
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: Patrick Henry Without the fight for freedom, liberty would not have been achieve. Patrick henry was a governor of Virginia. He gave the speech “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.” In this speech he addressed the governors and delegates of the colonies. The enemy was the British; more specific king George the 3rd.