Speech to the Virginia Convention

Patrick Henry (1736-1799)

• Burgess representative from Virginia• Known as the most famous

persuasive speaker from the Colonial time period

• Greatly protested Britain’s increasing demands

Patrick Henry

House of Burgesses?

• The first representative-based government group in the American Colonies.

• The first time they were allowed to make legislative decisions without the King.

• Passed legislation that went to “governor”

• Burgess: a representative from the group—usu. rich landowners

• Famous Delegates: Patrick Henry, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson

Virginia Convention: March 20, 1775

• British “Intolerable Acts” had been instated

• Organized by the Virginia House of Burgesses

• George Washington and Thomas Jefferson attended

• Purpose: To decide what to do about Britain’s increasing pressures

Patrick Henry Speaks!

• “Liberty or death” speech:

–Delivered to persuade the delegates of the Virginia Convention to go to war with England.

–Forget negotiation! We’re going to war!

–Several speakers had gone before Henry in favor of compromise with England.

Patrick Henry’s speech worked!

• He persuaded the Convention

• They voted to go to war with England

• His resolution only passed by 5 votes! We were 5 votes from remaining a British Colony!

Hence, the Revolutionary War…

• April 19, 1775 (one month from the day of Henry’s speech), the Revolutionary War began at the Battle of Lexington.

Logos (appeal to logic): Definition

• Uses factual or potentially factual reasoning to establish the validity of a proposed argument.

• “head” reasoning

Pathos (appeal to emotions): Definition

• Seeks to stir feelings. Relies on “charged” words (those that spark emotion) to evoke emotion toward the intended result.

• “heart” feeling

Ethos (appeal to ethics/credibility): Definition

• The author’s strategies used to build credibility, validity, or “believability.”

• If we don’t believe an author has a valid point, we won’t care to listen.

• This is done by citing clear evidence, being fair in one’s approach, considering multiple aspects of a situation, citing first-hand data, and being professional or perhaps even passionate in demeanor.

Metaphor: Definition

• Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things.

• Direct: “Fame is a fee”—the comparison is stated

• Indirect: “The road not taken”—you have to figure the comparison out.

Metaphors: Persuasive Value

• Provide stories that are easy to relate to

• Show potential outcomes by telling the end of a similar story

• Easy to remember

• Reduce complexity of problems and get at the heart of the matter

Rhetorical Questions: Definition

• Questions asked for effect.

• Often used in persuasion

• They presume the audience knows the answer the speaker is looking for, so no answer is expected or required.

Rhetorical Questions: Persuasive Value

• Get the whole group silently agreeing

• Make the group feel like they are coming up with the answers, not being told what to do to

• Make the answers feel obvious, thus the outcome feels obvious

Allusions: Definition

• References to someone or something that is culturally well-known

• Can be from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, art, or some other branch of culture

• They only work if you are part of the audience

Allusions: Persuasive Value

Work a lot like metaphors• Simple, easy-to-relate-to stories• So much said in so few words…they carry a

whole meaning/story/understanding without having to go into detail

• Simple, easy-to-relate-to stories• So much said in so few words…they carry a

whole meaning/story/understanding without having to go into detail

Antithesis: Definition

• A statement that reveals two opposing ideas in order to

show a balanced contrast of ideas.

Antithesis: Persuasive Value

• Antithesis allows opposites to exist side-by-side to show extremes and to make the audience feel as if those are the only two options. When options are limited, they are often easier to select.

Parallel Structure: Definition

Sentences that are structured in the same way in order to emphasize their content. Often, actual words are repeated

One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!

Parallel Structure: Persuasive Value

Parallel structure helps the audience pay close attention to the items that are listed/presented in the same format. It is a tool that amplifies the items presented in parallel structure.

The Speech• http://www.history.org/Almanack/people/bios/biohen.cfm

#speech To hear the speech: – Scroll UP a tiny bit from where the above link takes you– Click on the podcast “play” button for the “listen to the full speech

(7:05)”To hear the commentary: – Right click on “Liberty or Death” link in the “Podcasts” box– Click on “open in a new tab”– It will begin to play