Speech to the Virginia
Convention
Patrick Henry (1736-1799)
Patrick Henry
• Burgess representative from
Virginia
• Known as the most famous
persuasive speaker from the
Colonial time period
• Greatly protested Britain’s
increasing demands
House of Burgesses?
• The first representativebased 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-byside 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