Newcomer
English 10 honors
10 October 2012
Liberty
"Give me Liberty, or give me Death!” (Henry 100) The date is March 20, 1774, we as a nation must choose between one of these two proclamations. The British have increased our taxation and yet we have no representation, in addition, the British allow their soldiers quarters in our homes, alongside our families, with no consent of ours? Furthermore, when we try to protest against these unjust acts, we get punished for doing so. I cannot stand by while my country has its freedom’s robbed. As an American, I ask my fellow countrymen to stand alongside each other and seek justice in independence. How can we be ruled by a tyrant, who himself, is across the ocean and is ignorant on our way of life? How much longer can we let innocent townspeople get massacred by redcoats? Great Britain has stolen our liberty leaving only death at our doorstep. Taxation without representation, inability to protest unjust acts, and tyranny of a king are only few, but major reasons why we must fight for Liberty or remain cloaked in death.
In 1765 we received the first unjust taxation, The Stamp Act, all colonists were taxed on paper, newspapers, cards, etc. At the time we believed ourselves to be British citizens yet we were being taxed without any representation what so ever in the British parliament. Furthermore the Magna Carta allowed us personal liberty, which had been taken away with this unjust taxation. Even though the Stamp act was repealed one year later, similar unjust laws were its subsequent. The Townshend acts of 1767 put an import tax on our tea, glass, and paint. Once again we were not represented in this taxation and our freedom decreased as Britain continued to tax us at its leisure. How many more taxation laws must be passed before we realize that Britain is taking advantage of us? Not only did these unjust taxations lead to massacres at Boston and such events as the Boston Tea party, the taxations would not stop if we did not put a stop to them. Taking up arms is the only way we can put an end to these taxations, otherwise we will never be represented and always be mistreated. The right to protest is a basic right given to all humans. If we could not protest, we would have to submit to any authority without a say in the matter. The Boston Tea Party was a protest against the Tea act of 1773 yet, we were punished for protesting. The intolerable acts were thrown upon us in exchange for the protest. These acts stated that our town meetings would be restricted and that any British Official, who has murdered one of our colonists, will be sent back to Britain for a trail (where it was assumed they would be acquitted of their charges). How can we ever change the injustice, in the actions of the British, if we get chastised for protesting unfair acts? If British officials have their trials back in Britain, how will we ever justify the Boston Massacre and other murders of our people? Common sense tells us this isn’t right. The only way to break the cycle of injustice is through force. Some aspects of the domination of Britain, over the colonies, do not quite make sense. Britain being thousands of miles away, across an ocean, governs the large country of America? How can such a small island control such a large land mass? Furthermore, the king of Britain has never been to the colonies and only appoints Laws and acts that benefit him or Britain. It seems as if we are just pawns in the king’s game. He is ignorant of our needs and thinks we are just profit mules for the Britain. If a problem occurs in the colonies it would take months for king to hear word of it back in Britain and make a decision on the problem. In the end it is quite simple; having a government so far away from the colonies does not make much sense. The only way to change this government is through revolution. All the signs lead towards the same conclusion. We have never had representation and never will have representation. We will never be able to protest against the injustice that is dealt upon us. We will never change the government that controls. Not ever will we accomplish any of these things if we remain loyal to Britain, we must revolt and fight for liberty. War is eminent; we will win our freedom and never again feel the hand of oppression. "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!” (100)
Work cited Henry, Patrick. "Speech to the Virginia Convention." Trans. Array Elements of Literature. kathleen daniel. 5th course. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1997. Print. Paine, Thomas. "The Crisis, No.1." Trans. ArrayElements of Literature. kathleen daniel. 5th course. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1997. Print. ed. "chapter 7 the road to revolution." apnots.net. apnotes.net, n.d. Web. 15 Oct 2012.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In his speech to the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, lawyer Patrick Henry addressed delegates of the St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, on the issue of the inevitable war with Britain. Henry’s purpose was to encourage the delegation to take up arms in the form of a militia and actively resist the oppression of Britain. By using a series of rhetorical questions and appealing to the delegation’s religious tendencies as well as their strong senses of patriotism, Henry delivered a powerful speech to encourage them to act on their hopes of liberty.…
- 330 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Patrick Henry’s argument on declaring independence on Great Britain and going to war was an inspiring speech that has shined a new light on the subject of whether to declare independence or stay loyal to a country that has done us more harm than good and has ultimately led me to become a rebel. I have become a rebel for two main reasons, our petitions that they have not noticed were an attempt at peace and the mistreatment from the last ten years. To start, petitions had not been productive whatsoever. When Britain had done something that had made us miserable, we decided to meet in the middle and make peace with Britain though petitions. Unfortunately Britain had ignored and disregarded us and our petitions, and instead, had sent us harm and…
- 425 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The quote delivered by the brave, intelligent, and risk taking Patrick Henry states “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience” (Henry 3). As a citizen of the United States, Henry states this to let the citizens know that his speech contains all accurate information from his personal knowledge and experiences. In addition, it demonstrates that he is only guiding the colonists in the right direction towards freedom. In Patrick Henry’s “Speech To The Virginia Convention” he displays rhetorical questions and expressive exclamatory sentences to influence the colonists to join the fight for peace and freedom.…
- 666 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Leading up to the fierce and fiery confrontations at Lexington and Concord, a tumultuous period of debate and negotiation ensued regarding the preferred response of the colonies to British encroachment on their rights. The meeting of Virginian representatives in March of 1775 would prove to be a fruitless affair; that is, until a young, ardent lawyer by the name of Patrick Henry delivered an impassioned oration, with the intent of elucidating upon the reality of the situation: that the then-colonies were being driven to militant opposition of their royal overlords, and that to continue on passively would be to “retreat...[into] submission and slavery.” In his speech, Patrick Henry persuades the convention, and thereby the people, of the necessity of revolution through his employment of metaphorical imagery, stylized religious and mythological allusions, and a slew of rhetorical questions. In a blaze of libertarian sentiment, Henry incited the passions of the delegates and set the stage for the most glorious revolution in the history of mankind.…
- 1600 Words
- 7 Pages
Better Essays -
The British Parliament had controlled colonial trade and taxed imports and exports, and the Americans have been deprived of a right. The English Bill of Rights written in 1689 had forbidden the imposition of taxes without the consent of Parliament. Since the colonists had…
- 305 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
During 1777, America’s politicians were well informed that powerful governments could become harsh and cruel. As most people know, in the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson had highlighted King George III’s “long train of abuses” against…
- 513 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
As the basic human right, we are all enjoying the inherent freedom since we were born. However, 200 years ago, a group of people was fighting for their freedom perseveringly. On 23rd. March, 1765, Patrick Henry, who is the leading lights of American Revolution, gave the speech in front of Virginian audience. He responded the oppressive against the control of British. he turned colonial ideas against negotiation with England and toward armed rebellion. Patrick Henry illustrates the themes of freedom in the speech to Virginia convention through the use of the statement that there is no middle ground between freedom and slavery, the experience that how British desecrates their freedom and the emphasis on the importance of freedom.…
- 490 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Recently, A Virginian, Patrick Henry, gave a fiery speech. In this speech we heard him say,"Give me liberty of give me death!" Henry's words have put many thoughts into many colonist's minds. Many loyalists are thinking about patriotism. Maybe the rest of our hard headed men should consider freedom, and the results of our future victory, because its going to happen.…
- 61 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Henry not only used moral credibility, but also made me feel frustration. When Henry passionately states, “We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain” I immediately felt frustrated. When Henry used the words “in every light of which it is capable” I was irritated by the rejection of the colonists efforts. I had not realized the great effort us colonists had put into fighting for freedom, and that effort is not something that should be overlooked. The frustration began to fade away as he inspired me by his logic. When Henry was explaining our past efforts to gain freedom, he uses the wise words, “I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past” my mind started to turn. As a colony, we have constantly been threatened by the King’s actions, so what is different now? We are still under a tyrannical authority who abuses his power, and we must take a stand. Patrick Henry’s speech was inspiring, and persuaded me to put my life on the line to ensure freedom is upon our colony. Please do not worry too much about my sudden shift in…
- 397 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Summary: I am an English politician, spokesman, and journalist of radical discontent. I am pro-Americanism and pro-separation from England. I firmly believe and support religious tolerance, freedom of the press, and Parliamentary reform. I inspire American Whigs and other colonists with my attacks on King George III and the British government and by defending the liberties of Englishmen. Some call me the champion of the powerless against the privileged. Once the American colonists declared their independence, my support for them decreased and I slowly became a more conservative politician.…
- 324 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" Martin Luther King, Jr. also…
- 555 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Colonists need to obtain independence immediately to break away from England and overcome the dictatorship of its monarchal government! “A government of our own is our natural right: Ye that oppose independence now, ye know not what ye do; ye are opening a door to eternal tyranny, by keeping vacant the seat of government.” The internal invasion of England is depriving three million people of their rights, liberties, and pursuit of happiness. An invasion occurs not just through violent insurgencies, but through the tolerances of human injustice, degradation of humanity, and abuse of power by England’s own citizens who conceal themselves behind a monarchal government. These subtle approaches to invade a country are more powerful because the acts are…
- 810 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Thomas Jefferson argued in his opening two paragraphs that a people had the right to overthrow their government when it abused their fundamental natural rights over a long period. (Declaration, 1). “America was conquered, and her settlements made, and firmly established, at the expense of individuals, and not of the British public. Their own blood was split in acquiring lands for their settlement.” (Rights of British America, 1)…
- 1000 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
When Patrick henry gave his speech he knew that not everyone would accept what he had to say. To me everyone should have the courage to stand up for what they believe in no matter how everyone else will view it. Patrick Henry gave this speech because he felt that they were not treated as equals and had the right to be treated equally. Everyone should be treated equally. In 1775 and in today’s society all the government cares about is power and money not the citizens of the United States, it’s more like what the citizens of the United States can give them. In his speech he gave all the reasons why the government is messed up and everything that they have done to their people. He did his research before standing up in front of the crowd and telling them what he found out and his opinion on the situation. When he stood up and talked he had no notes he spoke openly about what he believed in and why. I liked how passionate and fiery, he was with regards to the situation with Britain. Henry felt that Britain has done wrong, and British wanted to feel superior. That was my same viewpoint, it just seemed like the British did whatever they wanted, and never cared about the colonists. Like Patrick Henry had said we are more likely to look away or shut our eyes against the truth and listen to the song of the siren till she transforms us into beats! This is still going on today in 2014, we listen to the media and our friends and families instead of us developing our own opinions and standing up for what we believe in. Eventually everything that we listen to will turn us into beasts, everything that we listen to whether it be the media or anyone else they could be filling our head with false information. We don’t know the truth we only know the truth that they want us to know. Patrick Henry and his followers weren’t backing down they were standing up for their rights and for what they believed in. To me that is very inspiring and many more people should follow…
- 380 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
The American Revolution embarked the beginning of the United States of America. A war that lasted eight years, 1775-1783, was able to grant the thirteen colonies the independence they deserved by breaking free of British rule. The war was an effect of the previous French and Indian War, which forced England to tax the American colonist, compelling them to rebel against parliament. From the 1760’s to 1775, many factors lead up to the American Revolution such as the various acts the British Parliament passed to pay the war debt, no representation in parliament, and the American people wanting to gain their independence. “No Taxation without Representation”, a slogan used by the American colonist, was the most important cause of the colonists declaring war for their independence on the British government.…
- 1116 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays