The Importance Of The Declaration Of Independence

In Patrick Henry’s,“ Speech in the Virginia Convention,” he explains to the President as well as the government at the time on how a war with Britain is completely necessary in order to gain full independence for America. Henry uses a proud tone to inspire his audience, simple and complex sentence structure to convey straightforward details, patriotic and passionate diction to bring an uprising of emotion, and ethos to ethically support the main idea.

In 1775 Patrick Henry gives his “Speech to the Virginia Convention,” in order to persuade the delegates to join the fight for independence against the british by using ethos, logos, and pathos.

According to Patrick Henry, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” (Henry 7). Patrick Henry was able to give an outstanding speech at the Virginia Convention, regarding the actions needing to be taken by the colonists. This speech included the criticizing and denouncing of Great Britain, along with the urging of the colonists to fight for independence. This including that the colonists need to become prepared because the unjust actions of the British were not simply going to go away. Henry urges the colonists to fight for the freedom that they rightfully deserve, and he does it extremely well. In Patrick Henry’s ‘Speech to the Virginia Congress’, he demonstrates passionate pathos appeals and rhetorical questioning to persuade the colonists to stand up for themselves and join the fight for their freedom.

     A democracy is a system of government controlled by the people, not by one certain group or individual. In the Declaration of Independence it states that “all men are created equal,” an idea which leads to the concept that all citizens should have the same rights, responsibilities, and influence in the governing of their country. In writing the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson was trying to break his ties with the harsh and non-democratic rule of the British and begin a new, equal society and government for America.

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” - The Declaration of Independence

Patrick Henry was an influential leader, from the 18th century, who delivered one of the most famous speeches in the United States. He was also a politician, with a strong sense of patriotism, leading to his support in the opposition of the British government. Before Independence Day, America was under the control of the British, and by 1774, the British Parliament started passing laws to tax colonists. However, Henry was remarkably against to the submission of British government. The patriot transformed the spirits of the colonists, and perhaps bringing America, itself, out of slavery through a speech, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.” This speech was given at the Second Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. Henry’s speech played an important role for the War of Independence, as well as, finding one of the principals of which America is founded upon, freedom.

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry, one of the crucial motivators of the American Revolution, delivers a speech in the Second Virginia Convention regarding gaining independence from Britain. Henry’s diction, allusions and counterarguments aid in his purpose of making the delegates feel the tyrannical rule by the British and believing in going to war with them is the only option in attaining freedom.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” (The Declaration of Independence, U.S. 1776, para. 2). The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in American history. The colonists said that Parliament and the king, George III, were violating the people’s natural rights. The colonies were on their own for such a long time that they got used to handling stuff their own way. Out of nowhere, the king and Parliament started giving the colonists taxes. From this taxing we got the saying “No taxation without representation.” Some of the taxes they gave the colonists were the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, and the Quartering Act. The Stamp Act was tax on every piece of paper and book published or used. The Sugar Act was a tax on sugar being imported and any food containing sugar. The Quartering Act was when the colonists were forced to house british soldiers, the soldiers were there to enforce the taxes being placed. All of these problems started the American Revolution.

The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. The men who attended were, for the most part, the same men who had appeared in the first Continental Congress. “The Adamses and the Livingstons, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, Peyton Randolph, Jay Henry, Washington, and Lee were there, as also Franklin” (Fiske 132). The objectives of Congress were better understood in the Second Continental Congress, so more was accomplished (Burnett 65). The main goal of the Second Continental Congress was to restore harmony between Great Britain and the Colonies. Ideas that sprang from this were the establishment of rights and liberties, the repeal of the acts that Britain placed on the colonies, and the establishment of peace, welfare, and security in the colonies.

The year was 1775, and King George III was the ruler of the British Empire. His numerous “offenses” against the American colonies had caused an upset within them. The colonies held multiple conventions in which they determined what they would do in retaliation. At the second Virginia convention, one Patrick Henry gave the notoriously famous speech, later named “Liberty or Death”, where he attempted to convince the Virginia delegates to go to war against Britain with the other colonies.

In Patrick Henry’s speech to the Second Virginia Convention, he attempts to convince the delegates that it is that it is time to take a stand against the British rule in the colonies. He enforces the thought of fighting against one of the strongest countries at that time in order to gain their freedom from the torturous tariffs that the British have been placing on them.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!” is a quotation attributed to Patrick Henry, which he used to close his speech to Virginia Convention. During this time period, the 1770s, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson all made arguments in favor of separation of the American colonies from Great Britain; many of these appeals were persuasive for different reasons, whether that be logical, emotional, or pertaining to credibility and trust, which is to say logos, pathos, and ethos. First of all, we will examine Henry’s arguments during his speech at the Virginia Convention. Then, we will identify Paine’s appeals in a part of his essay, The Crisis n1. Lastly, we will evaluate Jefferson’s myriad of arguments in a part of his Autobiography.

In the 1770’s, tensions between the colonies and Britain had been quickly escalating. Colonies like Massachusetts declared to be in a state of rebellion towards Britain. On March 23, 1775 in Virginia, a meeting of the colony’s delegates was held in St. John’s church in Richmond to decide if they should rebel against Britain as well. Patrick Henry presented resolutions to the meeting and delivered a speech in favor of his resolutions. “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry uses diction and imagery to create a patriotic tone.

The members of the First Continental Congress got together the morning of 1774. The members from various and distant areas were complete strangers, and did not know each other. Some had been trained what to do, and others had no idea. But out of all the members, no one seemed willing to take the first step in business. The room was silence until a man said that all the governments in America were dissolved and that the colonies were in a state of nature. "British oppression has effaced the boundaries of the several colonies; the distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American,” said Patrick Henry of Virginia.

The Declaration of Independence was written to explain, why colonies chose to separate from Great Britain. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson explains that if the government becomes unfair and controlling, a body of people have the right to change governments. Jefferson organized his argument in a format of writing an essay. He organized his document with an introduction, body, and conclusion.