Patrick Henry

“I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me

liberty or give me death!”

Speech in Virginia ConventionVirginia House of Burgesses

2 of the most famous Revolutionary Speeches

• 1st “Treason” Speech---to legislators in VA in opposition to Stamp Act– Warned the King of England to “profit by their

example” [Caesar and King Charles the First, who were assassinated for political reasons]

• 2nd---10 years later– Urged armed resistance to England– This boldness forced governor of VA to

proclaim him an outlaw

Life in Politics

• Later elected governor of VA (5 yrs)

• Political views grew conservative – Led the fight against the Constitution claiming

it gave fed. government too much power– Later led the movement to add Bill of Rights

Persuasive Devices

• Allusion---references made for the sake of comparison (do not fully describe, but rather hint at)

• Examples– “song of siren” (2nd paragraph)– “Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a

kiss.” (3rd paragraph)

More Persuasive Techniques

• Repetition

• Rhetorical Question

• Vivid descriptive language

• Find an example of each of these in the text