Andy CampbellMrs. NogarrAP English 3, Period 6November 13th, 2013

Speech to the Virginia Convention Essay

In the spring of 1775, Patrick Henry met with members of the second Virginia

Convention to discuss the need for a military mobilization against the British. Henry, faced with

the daunting task of convincing the colonists to lay down their lives for his cause, effectively

delivered a powerful and influential speech in favor of war, which would prove to be one of the

most significant steps towards American Independence. Speaking with passion and fervor,

Henry confronted his audience with the harsh reality of the delicate situation they were in, and

the inevitability of coming war. Through his energetic use of rhetorical devices, such as

parallelism, rhetorical questions, allusion, and metaphor, Henry’s speech was a defining

moment in the road to revolution.

The strength of Henry’s speech stems from its well-developed structure. Henry begins

his speech by introducing himself as an open-minded, humble man who respects others

opinions, while simultaneously unafraid to speak his own opinions freely. He justifies his right

to do so by asserting “Should I keep back my opinions at this time, through fear of giving

offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country” to prepare the

listener for a different viewpoint, and to build anticipation of what Henry will say next. He

appeals to the emotions of his audience by injecting strong patriotism into his words. His thesis

of calling for war is not even made clear until the last few lines; this is because Henry recognizes

he must allow the credibility and confidence in him to grow before making such bold claims. A

noteworthy quality of Henry’s speech is the changes that his tone undergoes in his diction. The

humble tone established in the introduction remains present throughout the rest of his speech,

although shifting to a more aggressive and passionate one. He speaks with warm, patriotic

rhetoric in respect to himself and the colonists, in contrast with the cold, distant rhetoric

regarding the British. He does this to build an impression of loyalty and unity among himself

and his audience, as opposed to the growing sentiments of isolation and doubt between the

British and the colonists. Henry’s carefully planned structure, shaped by tone and ethos, adds

rhythm to his speech.

Henry’s first major task before delivering his thesis is to establish the grounds of his

argument, by breaking down the arguments of his opposition. Through parallel structure and

pathos, he demonstrates the hollowness of further compromise, as suggested by previous

speakers. In order to emphasize the extent to which compromise has failed, Henry contends

“We have petitioned, we have remonstrated, we have supplicated, we have prostrated…” in

this repeating parallel structure to support his earlier claim that their attempts at compromise

are met with “that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately perceived” and that it

will eventually prove to be a “snare to your feet”. This serves to invoke the conclusion that the

British are untrustworthy and deceiving. In addition, Henry uses rhetorical questions

throughout the piece, to engage the audience and stir up emotional reactions. Sometimes he

uses them to propose drastic situations, in the case of “But when shall we be stronger? Will it

be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British

guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction?”

The mention of a British guard in every home alludes to the Quartering Act, in which British

soldiers could legally take shelter in anyone’s home. Henry brings this up to instill fear into the

audience, as to suggest what Britain will do if the colonists do nothing to stop them. By invoking

fear in his audience, Henry is also making them more susceptible to his persuasion. He then

quells their fears by building up the audience’s confidence in the next paragraphs, to elicit

strong patriotic and nationalistic emotions, thus strengthening the portrayal of the British as

oppressor, and Henry as the hero. After destroying any last opposition one might have to his

cause, Henry can proceed to discuss the need for war.

After establishing the conception that the colonists are in a perilous and vulnerable

situation, Henry then asserts his final point; that war must come. His escalating enthusiasm is

seen in his increasing number of exclamations, such as “The War is inevitable and let it come!”

and “I repeat sir, let it come”. Henry makes the advent of coming war seem glorious, and that

the war will bring great prosperity to the people. He then says “The War has already begun!” to

suggest that the nation is already engaged in battle anyway, regardless of one’s opinion. He

makes several concluding claims, such as “There is no retreat but in submission and slavery!” to

contrast the glory of freedom and the terror of slavery, and “Our chains are forged! Their

clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston”. Here, Henry compares Britain’s authority to the

chains of slavery. This reinforces the view that Britain lacks empathy for colonists; Henry thinks

that Britain only sees America as an economic extension of their empire. As colonists at the

time were beginning to feel more like independent citizens, and not British subjects, these

claims resonated in the hearts of the listeners. He also references Boston in this excerpt

because Boston was the center of colonial resistance. Perhaps Henry wants to remind the

audience of the Boston Massacre, in which British soldiers fired into a protesting crowd, to

demonstrate his claim that Britain is careless to the colonist’s cause. His energetic and

enthusiastic tone established in his excerpt serves to evoke passion in the hearts of the

listeners. He then boldly claims “there is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations”,

in which Henry implies that God is on the colonist’s side, and thus the colonists have a moral

obligation to fight the war. Also noteworthy is the repetition of “We must fight” and “Let it

come”. This illustrates Henry’s thesis and leaves the listener with something to ponder, and

highlights the urgency of the situation to stimulate an emotional reaction from the listeners.

Patrick Henry is remembered as a hero who brought hope and courage to the fragile

nation during the Revolutionary War, whose boldness and willingness to speak his mind was

undeniably admirable. His powerfully enthusiastic speech to the Virginia Convention was a

major turning point in support for the war against Britain, and provided a major confidence

boost in the developing nation. With his engaging and carefully structured rhetoric, Henry

effectively convinced colonists of the futility of further compromise, and vitality of immediate

action to defend the nation’s rights.