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Patrick Henry Tell Me Liberty Or Give Me Death Rhetorical Analysis

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Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death! Patrick Henry’s speech, “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death!” (1775) impelled the voters at the Second Virginian Convention to vote against the British. He does this through the use of pathos, logos, and ethos, rhetorical questions, and utilising the “They Say I Say” technique. Because of these he is able to persuade the Convention in order to convince them to vote against the British; and ally with the patriots. While the speech is given to a small group of people, it is more specifically aimed at those who are hesitant to go to war, attempting to convince them that now is the best time to strike. Patrick Henry was born May 29, 1736 in Hanover County, Virginia. As a young child he was schooled by his father who attended a Scottish university. At the age of fifteen he was given the job of running his father’s store. Later he married Sarah Shelton, a local girl. Now, part of her dowry was farmland, which Patrick took and attempted to grow tobacco on. After three years of fruitless labor, his farmhouse burned down and he gave up on farming. He started working for his uncle at a bar, and studied to be a lawyer.(Biography) …show more content…

After many successful years Henry was elected to the House of Burgesses, which was similar to a local congress for plantation owners.(UsHistory) He often disagreed with the British laws and rules in the House, which spread dissent all throughout the colonies. After that he was elected to the continental congress where he met Samuel Adams, and the two conspired against the British. A year after his congressional appointment was the Virginian Convention,an event where influential men met to decide whether or not they should assemble a state militia and adopt a defensive stance against Britain. Patrick Henry met there to convince the plantation owners to support the Rebellion.

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