patrick henry

The time had come for the colonist to decide if they would be loyal to the crown or fight for independence to become an independent nation. The Boston Tea Party had stirred unrest against the laws imposed by England and support from the other colonies for the demonstration of resistance against the Crown. Boston was still opposing the British regulations and fighting would soon take over the nation. The First Continental Congress had met and decided to outlaw the buying of British goods, proclaiming it a punishable offense for breaking the declaration. It was now Virginias turn to decide to join the other colonies and take up arms against the British or take a passive approach. The Second Virginia Convention was assembled to discuss the matter. On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry took the platform to give the greatest speech spoken during the American Revolution. Patrick Henry was a powerful public speaker and became known as the voice of the revolution.
Patrick Henry addressed his audience, after others had gone to oppose Virginia joining the fight for independence. The others thought that peaceful negotiations were the way to go and the hope of avoiding war was their motivation. Henry believed it was time to stand up against British rule and wanted his fellow Virginians to join him in opposition of the British government. Henry was a patriot but felt that the British took advantage of the colonies and did not have their best interest at heart. He became a patriot for America and American liberation from England. The control the British had over the colonies was unjust, the colonist had no representation in the British Parliament and no voice in their own governing. The people wanted their vote to count and be represented by ...

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... of independence in all that heard it, read it, and felt it. Patrick Henry called the colonist of Virginia to stand up for justice, strive for freedom, and become the united front it needed to be to defeat the British military.

Bibliography
Mann, Douglas. “Patrick Henry” (Video). Lecture, Red Hill Farm, Brookneal, VA, 2011. http://learn.liberty.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/courseMain?course_id=_12227_1. (accessed April 2, 2014).
Henry, Patrick. “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!” Chambers Classic Speeches. 2006. http://literati.credoreference.com/content/entry/chambspeeches/give_me_liberty_or_give_me_death/0. (accessed April 5, 2014).
Brands, H.W.: Breen, T.H.: Williams, R. Hal.: Gross, Ariela J. American Stories A History of the United States. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. , 2012.