Patrick Henry

In Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech to the Virginia Convention he uses charged words, God references, and inductive reasoning to display pathos, ethos, and logos.

Patrick Henry eases into his controversial message by appealing to the assembly’s emotions or pathos. Henry clearly states “I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs.” This is used to show respect to the VA Convention and to get them to listen to his ideas without being massively offended. Also, Patrick Henry uses charged words like “freedom” or “slavery.” This stirs up the mood of the speech by igniting the feelings of the assembly. In order for Henry to get his message across he appeals to the emotion of the Virginia Convention.

Henry tries to connect his speech to the ethics or ethos within each person of the assembly by referencing God and talking about moral issues. Within his speech Henry states, “Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.” This is said to persuade the assembly that when they have a war then God will be with them. Further on in the speech, Henry says, “Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.” The assembly is told directly through this excerpt flat out that there is no other path to take than to go to war. Patrick Henry appeals to the ethics of the assembly to persuade them that there is no other course other than war.

Patrick Henry uses logic or logos to tie both pathos and ethos into his speech while displaying logos at the same time. Throughout Henry’s speech, he uses a variety of facts to convince the delegates at the Virginia Convention that they should go to war as it is inevitable. In his speech, Henry states, “And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House. Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received?” Henry uses inductive reasoning to say that since the British have basically been, as an understatement no help at all within the past ten years then they we will not be able to create peace between the U.S. and new England. Another logical idea that Henry states is, “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past.” Patrick Henry asserts this to “give a backbone” to his arguments that he claims within his speech “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.” The facts that are used with Henry’s speech verify why the Virginia Convention should go to war.