Patrick Henry Tell Me Liberty Or Give Me Death Speech

“Give me liberty, or give me death!”Patrick Henry spoke these powerful words at a convention in Richmond, Virginia to a large group of delegates, influencing the men to declare independence from Great Britain. This statement came at the end of Henry’s most reveled speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses, sparking the movement of rebellion that would eventually result in the establishment of a new, independent nation known as America.The Liberty or Death speech is considered one of, if not the, most important declarations ever spoken in American history. Not only as the catalyst that tipped the scales towards resistance, but also as a speech that fully embodied that of an American of the revolutionary generation, appealing to the ideas most citizens at

However, Henry alsoreminds us that it is important to speak your mind without fear of interjection, stating that only then will we be able to “arrive at truth and fulfill the great responsibility we hold to God and our country.” Taking all of this into account, we can learn that we are still able to ask the difficult questions, even if those questions may o(end others. This speech also expresses an idea of courage. As a sort of call to arms, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” reminds us that freedom and the end of oppression can only be achieved by those willing to risk everything in order to preserve it.The men in this era believed there to be a natural order towards humanity that includes rights belonging to humans by virtue of that humanity. Politically, however, they also knew that we, as humans with human flaws, tend to be selfish and weak, placing our own wants and desires before the needs of others’. Therefore, we are prone to violate the rights of others. Humans want to be free themselves, but they are also tempted to thrust others under the thumb of