Pathos. Henry's purpose is to make his audience feel that now is the moment to take action. His speech is full of figurative language such as allusions, and he frequently uses metaphors ("Our chains are forged"). These techniques appeal to the emotions, as does that final phrase: "Give me liberty, or give me death!"
Patrick Henry served as Virginia's first governor (1776-1779) and sixth governor (1784-1786). In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, Henry became an outspoken Anti-Federalist. Henry and other Anti-Federalists opposed the ratification of the 1787 United States Constitution, which created a strong federal government.
An outspoken Anti-Federalist, Henry opposed the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, which he felt put too much power in the hands of a national government. His influence helped create the Bill of Rights, which guaranteed personal freedoms and set limits on the government's power.
In 1775, Patrick Henry gave the Speech in the Virginia Convention to persuade the representatives to prepare for the impending war with the British and fight for independence. One reason Patrick Henry wants to persuade them into to following him is to prepare for war.
On this day in 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his impassioned speech against British tyranny. It became an enduring symbol of America's founding struggle for liberty and self-government. Henry spoke to an assembly of his fellow Virginians at St.
In this speech Patrick Henry (1736-1799) uses powerful rhetoric to convince influential, affluent, landed men of Virginia with much to lose to move past their current diplomatic posture opposing British aggression to the more treasonous one of open military preparedness.
Patrick Henry was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the first governor of Virginia. He was a gifted orator and major figure in the American Revolution.
He was a gifted orator and major figure in the American Revolution. His rousing speeches-which included a 1775 speech to the Virginia legislature in which he famously declared, Give me liberty, or give me death!-fired up America's fight for independence.
Henry was convinced that war was around the corner, and he arrived at the Virginia Convention determined to persuade his fellow delegates to adopt a defensive stance against Great Britain.