Comparing JFK And Patrick Henry's Inaugural Address

Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine created effective pieces of writing, however, the most effective piece, in my opinion, is Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death. I believe Patrick Henry's Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death targets its audience more effectively because of the beliefs and wishes Henry had for America. He wanted equality and peace for everyone. The most famous and crucial line would simply be the last one of the entire speech, "Give me liberty or give me death!" To gain the liberty and freedom they deserve, they must come together and fight.

“Liberty or death!” This phrase was used by both Patrick Henry and Malcolm X in their speeches. Even though these men gave their speeches almost two centuries apart their goal was the same. They both wanted to convince their audience to fight for freedom. Through the use of rhetorical strategies, Patrick Henry was successful in convincing the colonies to fight for their freedom from Britain and Malcolm X was successful in convincing African Americans to fight for their rights.

The speeches of Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy are both meant to deliver a powerful message. Despite how similar these messages are, there are contrasting ideas that set the speeches apart. The speeches of Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy share similarities in their statements on freedom and the main purposes of the speeches themselves, while differing in historical context.

Patrick Henry, an attorney and politician, delivered a speech at St. John’s Church in Richmond. Virginia on March 23, 1775. This speech was later considered the “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” speech due to it’s powerful conclusion. In the speech Henry discusses the colonies’ freedom-freedom from the royal crown, Britain. He attempts to explain that this revolutionary war in inevitable and the more it was delayed, the more difficult it would be to fight for their freedom. Patrick Henry’s motivation behind this proclamation was to influence his audience into raising an army, to fight for independence. For decades, the colonists were under British control, but Patrick Henry used the power of rhetoric to motivate the colonists. Patrick Henry uses a number of rhetorical strategies to persuade the delegates that war against the British is absolutely needed for their freedom.

Abraham Lincoln addresses freedom in his speech by calling the nation to end the war and eventually ending slavery in America. According to The Gettysburg Address, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” (Lincoln. Lines 1-3). Abraham Lincoln is citing the Declaration of Independence. It states that all men have the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and property. This was a promise that was given to all men, yet slaves were stripped of these rights. The

Both President George W. Bush and Patrick Henry wrote very similar pieces. Henry delivered a speech known as “Speech to Virginia Convention” to Virginia delegates as to why America should separate from Great Britain. President Bush bush presented a speech “President Bush Outlines Iraqi Threat”, that was broadcasted internationally regarding the decision to use military force against Iraq. As we now know today, both speeches effectively persuaded others. The two are similar through the use of multiple rhetorical devices such as pathos, loaded language and ethos.

Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry promote the desire and will to fight for freedom because they believed America should trust God and he would lead them to victory. A lesson that should reverberate for generations to come. Patrick Henry's “Speech in the Convention” was in March 1775 to the Second Virginia Provincial Convention. Thomas Paine’s speech “The Crisis, Number one” composed only on a drum as a desk was read to discourage soldiers during a retreat early in the war. Although these speeches were in completely different stages of the Revolutionary War they both instilled they desire to fight for America's Independence to their audiences.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!” Patrick Henry’s words ring out like a bell, covering the crowd of respected politicians and lawyers with stunned silence. Henry’s brave, powerful speeches encouraged the colonies to stand as one to rebel against the British. Today, Patrick Henry is considered one of history’s most influential speaker and played a crucial role, before, during, and after the American Revolution.

John F Kennedy’s inaugural speech is widely considered one of the best speeches ever given. By the time Kennedy was elected, he had earned a degree from Harvard University, spent time in the Navy during the Second World War, and was already enjoying a successful political career serving in both houses of Congress. Kennedy delivered his eloquent inaugural speech to thousands of people on the steps of the Capitol building and millions more watching the broadcast on television which was the first to be shown in color. Something that I believe that he did better than other political speakers is that not only did he attempt to comfort his audience of the fear of the spread of communism, but he also successfully maintained the same tone throughout his speech; not only did that make his speech easier to comprehend and well received but it has continued to inspire generations since. Ultimately, the newly elected president delivered one of the most quoted and well known inaugural speeches to date.

In Patrick Henry’s speech he wants everyone to stop fooling around and get down to business. Patrick Henry views the issue as a simple question, Freedom or Slavery? In his speech Patrick Henry had to convince the Virginians, their struggle for peace had not worked, is not working, and will never work. His solution to the problem was to fight not in the future, but now. Patrick Henry makes a

Patrick Henry and Benjamin Franklin are both politicians who had strong impacts on citizens in American’s society. They made agreements with the economy and always played their parts. In Patrick Henry’s Speech in the Virginia Convention and Benjamin Franklin’s Speech at the Constitutional Convention, both Henry and Franklin use rhetorical questions, parallelism, and ethos to persuade their audience to look at the situation from their point of view.

Despite the speech being addressed to the President, Patrick Henry undoubtedly wants to instill the message of American patriotism in the colonists themselves. Henrys’ hope and message is that this patriotism will lead to taking up arms and ultimately, material

To begin with the similarities of these select two speeches, both were intended to result in freedom and privilege for the people. In Henry’s speech he states, “If we wish to be free- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending,” and ends this statement with the importance of fighting the British. “I think a general government necessary for us and there is no form of government but what may be a blessing to the people if well-administered,” quoted from Franklin shows his best wishes for his fellow people. Another

Patrick Henry and Ben Franklin are two men that are very passionate for what they do but have different point of views of how the convention should be. They attend to have power that wants to be heard, to strongly have their opinions taken into simple consideration but not to hurt the people that are in their hands along with the future that they possess in.

Patrick Henry’s speech, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”, can relate to an article from NPR, “Graham-Cassidy Health Care Hearing Starts With Eruption Of Protests” in three major ways. The protesters at the hearing are similar to New England because both groups are fighting against a higher authority, they hold the same qualities Henry admired in Americans, and both are standing up for their liberty. New England and the civilians in the article are alike because each of them are inferior to the association they’re up against. America was controlled by Great Britain and “...the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament,”(46-47, Henry) while the protesters are standing up to a higher authority as well, their government.