Although Patrick Henry seemed to be skeptical about making his most famous speech, he went with his heart and let his emotions run wild. I was lucky enough to have been graced and awarded an interview with the great Patrick Henry to discuss briefly about his early life experiences with a focus on his most famous speech at the Virginia Convention. My first question to Henry was how he came to be a lawyer in such a short period of time.
Patrick Henry responded with “Well, my first step in becoming a lawyer was to pass two oral examinations by different lawyers that were appointed by the colony’s Privy Court. This was quite an achievement since the majority of lawyers at this time spent well over a year in preparing and learning the material. I say that I am fortunate for passing the bar exam in about six weeks (Patrick Henry).
Before I asked about the famous speech, I asked Henry about The Parsons’ Cause that helped his name become what it is known as today.
He responded “at the time, the colonial law had set clergy salaries at around sixteen thousand pounds of tobacco per year. However, in 1758 the tobacco crop had failed and Virginia’s assembly passed the Twopenny Act that provided debts payable in tobacco to be paid in paper currency at the rate of two pence per pound of tobacco. I represented one church treasurer and argued the power of the colonial assembly to pass laws for the benefit of the people of the colony.
The Essay on Dramatic Appeal In Two Famous Speeches
“We must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight!” Emotional and logical appeal plays a great part in the “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” and the “Speech in the Virginia convention”. The emotions in both of these speeches bring them to life by the use of repetition, rhetorical questions, and imagery. Patrick Henry and Jonathan Edwards both apply similar ...
My back up was that the British set limits on the King’s power and how this act benefited only a small amount of the colonies people and really set back the clergymen. The final result of this display was that the clergymen were awarded only one penny, after which I became famous and shortly afterward was I rewarded to the House of Burgesses (Patrick Henry).
Mr. Henry, in your speech of “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” you make it known that your words are only of your opinion and take full responsibility for what is spoken.
Did the majority of others feel the same as you or were you going on a limb with how you felt about patriotism and the relationships between the United States and England? The most important element of my opening of this speech was to take full responsibility for my words, and of course most of the people wanted to say some of the things I said but were either afraid or not able to speak of the matter like I was. “For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it (Give Me Liberty…).
What I meant by those words relates to how many people only want to see the good and let others make the best decisions while they wait in anticipation to find out what their future in obtaining “liberty” would come to themselves. I asked Mr. Henry about his questioning that was directed towards the President relating to the efforts at the time to have a relationship with Great Britain and how he approached the subject in such a way that didn’t come off as being disgusted with the almost timid approach to the British. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain (Give Me Liberty. ” These words described the many years of an attempt to make peace with Great Britain rather that allowing force and defense for our country to stand on its’ own two feet. I wanted to basically say that we had done all that was possible such as petitions, remonstrated, supplicated, prostrated, all before the throne (Give Me Liberty).
It was at this point in which you pleaded to the President that “We must fight!
The Essay on Liberty and Equality
The principles of liberty and equality are what led America to be the great country it is today. Those terms would not be as meaningful if Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and many other founders of our country did not embrace those ideas and adopt them from the Europeans. The strong belief in liberty and equality led this nation to adhere to those standards set by the great ...
An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us! (Give Me Liberty…).
My emotions really took over at this point in which I defended my feelings on how they saw us as weak and unable to cope with such a strong adversary. I demanded that we not wait until the time came when the British would take over, and leave us totally disarmed and rid of any fight. Our country had the numbers and the strength to overpower any nation at this point in time, and I was blind to the fact that we would sit down and obey such a force as Britain. It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! (Give Me Liberty…).
These were my words that explained that our forces were prepared and ready to fight for liberty. I could not understand why we were so hesitant, why we would take the offensive to fight for our freedom. The closing statements in your speech are what helped this moment become such a famous speech, thank you for taking a stand that could’ve jeopardized your future in such a positive or negative way.
Not many men had the strength or the fame to throw out such an opinion as “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! ” (Give Me Liberty…).
My main goal was to get the point across to the President that we must fight for our independence and liberty from Britain. Our nation needed to take a stand and claim our rights and freedoms from this force. I am glad to have chosen Patrick Henry for the topic of this essay.
Prior to this paper, I didn’t know very much about what this man had achieved for both himself and also the way he helped influence our country. Richard Beeman spoke of the time in which cooperation with Britain was expected, “but the old patriot, devoted to order as well as liberty dissuaded them (Beeman, pp. 11).
I was really impressed with Henry’s ability to take a stand no matter what the consequences in regards to protecting our lands from the British. It is amazing that Patrick Henry is not more well known throughout books of history.
