Speech to the Second Virginia Convention

What do you think is the most persuasive appeal that Henry makes in this speech? Why? What about the least persuasive?

What is the role of God in Henry’s argument? Where will God fit into the war effort?

Reexamine the many rhetorical questions that Henry poses throughout the speech. What does each one—or distinct groups of related questions—aim to convey? To what extent do you find Henry’s rhetorical strategy effective?

What metaphors does Henry use in the speech? What do they represent?

How does Henry characterize the colonists? How does he characterize the British? How does he characterize the relationship between the two? Use specific quotations to support your argument.

The final line of the speech—“Give me liberty, or give me death!”—is the most famous. Why do you think this is the case?

In the American imagination today, Henry’s speech is remembered for the quotation, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” That line, however, does not summarize the entirety of Henry’s argument. Pick two other sentences from the speech that represent the speech as a whole and discuss why you made your selections.

How does Henry use evidence to support his arguments? What constitutes evidence for Henry? To what extent are his claims continually proven? To what extent does he rely on rhetoric rather than reasoned argument?