PERSUASIVE SPEECH AND PATRICK HENRY

WHAT SPEECHES ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH?

TURN TO P. 198

MODERN DAY EXAMPLE In the following clip, look for elements of rhetoric. Stop the Foolishness

PATRICK HENRY Born May 29, 1736 in Hanover County, Virginia Protested British tyranny Symbol of American struggle for liberty Served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress Five-term governor of Virginia Delivered the famous "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech. Died June 6, 1799 at Red Hill Plantation, Virginia

In March 1775, Patrick Henry urged his fellow Virginians to arm in self- defense, closing his appeal (uttered at St. John's Church in Richmond, where the legislature was meeting) with the immortal words: "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death."

Henry's call to arms was carried over the protests of more conservative patriots and was one of the causes of the order for Lord Dunmore, the royal governor, to remove some gunpowder from the Magazine. Henry, "a Quaker in religion but the very devil in politics," mobilized the militia to force restitution of the powder. Since Henry's action followed the British march on Concord by only a few hours, it is said to mark the beginning of the American Revolution in Virginia.

LISTEN TO THE SPEECH AND FOLLOW ALONG Speech in the VA Convention

Imagine you are a member of the Virginia Convention. What else would Henry have to say to convince you to die for liberty?

BIBLIOGRAPHY