Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!”
Response to Prompt 1
HIUS 221
Patrick Henry was a man of ideals. He was not satisfied with belief alone; he was prone to defend those beliefs if he felt them threatened. He refused to merely pay lip service to his ideals and hope for the best, he would stand and fight if he must. This was the message he wished to relay to his fellow Virginians; a call to action.
He implored his fellow patriots not to ignore the threat of war while meagerly wishing for another path, but to embrace the fact that all paths had been trodden and that war for the sake of liberty was unavoidable. In his speech he spoke of, “warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land” and questioned the necessity of such acts if reconciliation was the objective. Henry argued that these were not tools of debate but of subjugation no matter what the disguise. “Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss.” By the end of his speech he addressed his desire explicitly. He wished to go to war. “We must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!” Henry justified the need for war by appealing to the highest power. He stated clearly that there was only one King he would ultimately answer to. “Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offence, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.” Not only was he stating his own conviction of faith but also drawing to men’s’ minds the question of whom they served. Would they stand by as some foreign king tried to take from them their God-given rights to freedom and liberty? He clearly illustrated that if they were to do nothing it would be base treachery to God, the true king of men.
To further justify his call to action he used imagery of slavery and chains that bind them, the very thing they had devoted their existence to fighting. “They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging.” He continued by stating that experience would show that nothing in the British conduct has ever given them any reason for hope. “And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain.” This demonstrated the futility of all they have tried before. It made it obvious that no amount of conversation, or pleading on their part would ever amount to anything more than what they already had received; smiling appeasement backed by ships of war.
To those who might disagree with Henry’s concerns, he addressed them plainly, making evident that inaction was surely not the answer. He understood their fear of not being strong enough against such a formidable enemy, but made it clear that such fear was no reason to cower, refusing to act. “They tell us sir that we are weak, unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?” Henry was making the point that if they did not act then, they would never be able to, for the British would have their hands bound and they would be unable to achieve anything but a false hope for the future. He went on to alleviate such fears by explaining that because they were acting on behalf of a holy cause, the Lord would give them all the strength they needed. “Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.” Henry beseeched his fellow Virginians to understand that though they might have hoped to merely cover their eyes and wish for peace that the war had in fact already begun. He put to each man the question of what price they would be willing to pay for such a peace. “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me: give me liberty or give me death!”
Bibliography
Henry, Patrick. “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!” Speech to the Virginia Convention, March 23, 1775.
--------------------------------------------
[ 1 ]. Henry, Patrick. “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!” Speech to the Virginia Convention, March 23, 1775.
[ 2 ]. Ibid.
[ 3 ]. Ibid.
[ 4 ]. Ibid.
[ 5 ]. Ibid.
[ 6 ]. Ibid.
[ 7 ]. Ibid.
[ 8 ]. Ibid.
[ 9 ]. Ibid. 