Patrick Henry
“I know not what course others
may take; but as for me, give me
liberty or give me death!”
Speech in Virginia Convention
Virginia 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