...An event in American history that I would like to witness is Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty, or give me death!” speech. The Speech took place on March 23, 1775 at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. Henry gave the speech to the Second Virginia Convention, among the people that were there were Peyton Randolph, Sampson Mathews, and future U.S. Presidents, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. After Henry gave the speech of a lifetime. He, along with his militia troops, made the British Government give back the gunpowder that was the rightful property of the Commonwealth of Virginia Citizens. The gunpowder was ordered to be taken from Williamsburg, Virginia and put on a Royal Navy ship by Lord Dunmore. The actions that the people of the...
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...Biblical Themes from Patrick Henry Sarah Lumbard HIUS 221 January 30, 2014 On March 23, 1775 Patrick Henry stood before the House of Burgesses in St. Johns Church in Richmond Virginia. His eloquent speech, now known as the famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech, was given to the members of the House, which included Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. The audience was a predominately Christian audience, as most men were in colonial days. Having been moved by the Great Awakening to be more involved in the politics and be a Christian influence, Henry appealed to the patriot and the Christian in each member of the audience. Throughout Henry’s speech, biblical themes can be found. Henry was not using the biblical phrases in context per say, but he was using them as catch phrases to appeal to the Christian morals and Biblical knowledge that these men had. One of the many biblical references that jumps out is in relation to the crown not listening to the colonists as they petition for fair treatment as British subjects and respect for their rights, and yet were always denied. Henry says, “Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss.” This vivid imagery reminds us of the kiss from Judas on Jesus’ cheek as he identifies him to the Roman soldiers. Luke 22: 47b-48 says, “And he approached Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” To the colonists, this kiss represents the betrayal of the King of England...
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...Rhetorical Analysis Congressman Patrick Henry in his speech “Give me Liberty or Give Me Death” proclaims his feelings on what we need to do to get away from the control of Britain. Henry’s purpose is to inspire the people to revolt and appeal to the listeners emotions through a confident tone. Henry begins his speech by respectfully acknowledging the people, and explaining to the listeners that he can't be silent and let Britain control him with fear. He appeals to the curious listener by alluding to the odyssey. “We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts.” (Henry) He makes this allusion for the effect that the listener will feel similarly to how he feels...
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...“Give me liberty or give me death”. Patrick Henry was one of the founding fathers during the American Revolutionary time period in 1765. Henry was a lawyer, politician, and a public speaker. Henry’s huge roll in during the time period was trying to persuade the American colonies to revolt against england. America wanted to gain back their freedom and justice. The war than took place from 1775-1783 between Great Britain and the original 13 colonies. Patrick Henry uses pathos in his speech to convince the American colonies to fight back against the british. One of the most impactful persuasive technique that Henry used in his speech was using a rhetorical question. He uses this rhetorical question to have the audience feel guilty if they do...
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...On March 21st, 1775, Patrick Henry gave a speech that would be quoted for centuries to come, ”Give me liberty, or give me death!” Henry gave this speech to the Second Virginia Convention as a proposal to form a voluntary infantry for each county of Virginia in order to prepare for what Henry saw as the inevitable war. Many men wanted to wait for a reply from the King as Congress had petitioned for peace and reconciliation. Henry, however, did not believe this was a smart move; he said whether they acted now was “a question of freedom or slavery.” Although Henry’s argument was very well structured, he did commit a couple logical fallacies, as many speechwriters do. Such as slippery slope and either/or fallacies which are presented in Patrick...
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...Composition 30 August 2011 Arguing for Freedom As a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, Patrick Henry strongly supported joining the American Revolution to break away from Great Britain. Henry delivered a speech to his fellow House members at the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, to persuade the voting to favor his decision to fight for freedom. The strong title of Give Me Liberty or Give Me Freedom represents the climax of the speech and Henry’s primary message. Henry utilizes various rhetorical strategies to appeal to the audience and support the purpose of the argument. Numerous schemes and tropes, such as hyperboles, metaphors, erotema, antithesis, and repetition draw attention to the purpose of the speech and demand focus from the audience. Appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos strategically employed throughout the speech enhance the overall effect of the argument. By properly exhausting rhetorical strategies, Henry creates a demanding yet respectful tone that is strong, honorable, and persuasive. Henry identifies his great respect for the audience and opposing opinions in the first lines of the speech with the statement, “I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve.” Such a bold yet respectful tone illustrates Henry’s purpose accurately and delivers the controversial message without offending the audience...
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...Patrick Henry was one of the greatest speakers of all time. He was able to reach his audience in a very effective way. He could move his audience to anger, fear, or laughter very easily. In fact, he was the most powerful orator of the American Revolution. One of his most effective speeches during that time was “Speech in the Virginia Convention” where he stated his famous quote “Give me liberty or give me death”. He was trying to impart a very important message to his audience through that speech. He was seeking a great change to happen that required one to have strength and courage, as well as unity within the colonies; he wanted liberty. Patrick Henry was determined to gain independence and break free from the British. He wanted to change...
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...Give Me Liberty! “Give me liberty or give me death”. Patrick Henry was an inspiring figure in the Revolutionary times. At this moment in history, many higher ups did not want war with the mother country, but Henry on the other hand did. At the Second Virginia Convention, Henry stood up for what he believed in and delivered a speech that would change history. Although he used logos and ethos, Patrick Henry's outstanding use of pathos in his speech allowed him to convince his fellow delegates, because he provoked emotion from his audience. Patrick Henry needs support from his fellow delegates to go to war against the British. He utilizes fear tactics against his audience to draw emotion and personal connection. We see this when he says “But...
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...Patrick Henry criticized war and all the acts of Great Britain which claimed that they were done for endearment. In Patrick Henry’s speech, “Give me Liberty” he emphasizes that the solution was to uphold a strong, alert, active and bold fight with God on their side. Although Henry states he is patriotic to Britain, he has a different view on how to handle this situation. Henry begins building his credibility with allusion of hope, citing convincing evidence, and successfully employing emotional appeals. In his speech, Henry begins his speech by discussing hope in allusions by making a point that man-hopes for freedom without fighting, but refute this idea, proving that it cannot be a reality. For example, “listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts” (Henry) This alludes to the Odyssey metaphorically comparing how the British are giving the colonies false hope to how Circe lures men to her island, giving them false hope and then transforms them into pigs. This false hope the British give...
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...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...
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...Period 1 Ms. Alba 2nd November, 2015 Early American Ideas: Patrick Henry It is how people treat their peers, human nature. The human nature that can be found in Americans is like no other. The American is a strong, proud, and passionate man. Mr. Patrick Henry seems to have proved the previous statement quite accurately with his logical and emotional appeal. For example, Henry states “Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of the means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three 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.”( ¶ 3 Page 2). This quote explains Henry’s definition of human nature, where he thinks that all American’s have the ability to come up and fight together against any enemy in their path....
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...Famous for his “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” speech that he gave in 1775, Patrick Henry had a huge impact on the Revolutionary War in many different ways, but his most known call to action was his outstanding and mesmerizing speech. Henry played huge role in America’s resistance to the English. Being the Governor of Virginia, he contributed a great amount in the making of the war. In fact, Henry played such a leadership role in preparation for the fighting, that historians today refer to him as the “Sword of the War.” Even as a young man, Henry was known to stand up against the English’s policies due to his protesting against the Stamp Act. However, this was only the beginning of his resistance to the French for this rebellion would in time lead up to his incredible leadership in promoting the Revolutionary War and the life changing speech that he gave. Using nothing but his words, Henry motivated the colonists to fight by explaining his thoughts without being disrespectful and showing them what would happen if they were to hold back. Henry’s speech was one of the greatest deciding factors that led the colonies into war, and, for this reason, it is still one of the most important speeches that has ever been given. What was so important that pushed Henry to give his speech? When Henry gave his speech in the third Virginia convention, his number one goal was to cause the other men, who were the ones in charge of the thirteen colonies, to agree with his beliefs in that...
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...Patrick Henry “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. [...] The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.” (“Avalon Project”) Patrick Henry was a patriot that served the people of Virginia in many ways. He fought against the control of Great Britain with his speeches, as commander of the Virginia forces, and as a respected leader. Patrick Henry’s early years, his cause, and why he is a rebel. Henry was born May 29, 1736 and died June 6, 1799 at Red Hill, in Virginia. His father was John Henry, a well educated man from Scotland, who was a surveyor, a colonel, and a judge....
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...Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine and Ronald Reagan all share fairly similar styles in their writing, especially through the speeches they gave. While giving their speeches and other pieces of writing they published, they were very successful in persuading their audience to accommodate for the change that needed to be made during the time. Despite them sharing all successful forms of persuasion, they most commonly adapted to the emotional aspect, also known as pathos. In Patrick Henry’s speech most commonly known as “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death,” he expresses a lot of emotion when trying to persuade the president to agree with his purpose. Henry’s purpose was to gain independence in the colonies by going to war with Great Britain, who had...
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...Patrick Henry's, speech is to individuals in the Virginia Convention in Richmond. The speech distinguishes the explanations behind the Revolutionary War, on March 23, 1775. The reason for his speech was to persuade audience at the convention to go to war with the expectation that they will acquire their independence from Britain and ultimately demonstrate that the US isn’t an easy target to constrain. All throughout Patrick's entire speech, he utilizes an exacting influential tone by utilizing numerous rhetorical devices to convey his point. Patrick Henry starts out his speech with logos by giving motivation behind why colonists of contrasting judgment ought to meet up as one. He expresses, “No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism,...
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