Speech to the Second Virginia Convention

Nonfiction | Essay / Speech | Adult | Published in 1775

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Essay Analysis

Character Analysis

Themes

Literary Devices

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Literary Devices

Argument

Henry’s speech is argumentative. He asserts that the colonists should mobilize for war and uses evidence and rhetoric to support that claim.

It is not until the third paragraph that Henry states his argument directly. He opens with disclaimers about not wanting to offend anyone in the audience and rhetorical questions about wisdom and courage. This potentially established trust, mutual respect, and common ground between Henry and his audience before Henry explicitly stated what he anticipated would be a controversial position.

Though Henry approaches his main argument from many angles, he eventually states it concisely in the second half of the speech, at the very end of the third paragraph. Furthermore, he repeats it: “If we wish to be free […] we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight!” (Paragraph 3). After making this statement, Henry returns to rhetorical questions and motivational sentiments, telling the colonists that they can succeed in taking up arms against a more powerful and trained army. This approach cushions the argument in a speech intended not only to inform an audience but emotionally move it toward action.

Evidence

Henry defends his argument by presenting evidence, particularly in the form of rhetorical questions. There are three essential elements of Henry’s argument that he defends by citing evidence.

He says that for a decade before his speech, the colonists had been mistreated by the British government. Henry calls this his “lamp of experience”—the wisdom and observable patterns that are a result of analyzing the past. He does not go into specifics, but the men in attendance are gathered in the first place because a British-appointed governor dissolved their official legislature in Virginia. Many of these men had worked to address and protest taxes dating back to 1765. Henry need not recount the specifics because they would have been obvious to his audience.

The second line of reasoning Henry delivers is the fact that the colonists, in face of these mistreatments, have been trying to maintain peace and reach diplomatic solutions instead of resort to armed confrontation. Henry does not analyze events like the Boston Massacre or Boston Tea Party, which resulted in violence and destruction of property. He instead references petitions and compliance. These strategies, Henry argues, are no longer applicable because they have already failed. Again, Henry’s evidence is the observable patterns of the recent past.

The third body of evidence is Henry’s perception that the British had already waged war: “The war is actually begun!” (Paragraph 5). This harkens back to an observation he outlined in the third paragraph: The British sent more military personnel and naval ships to the colonies as they feared conflict escalation. Henry asserts, “They are meant for us” (Paragraph 4).

In each of these cases, Henry uses observations and patterns as evidence for his larger argument.

Rhetorical Questions

Rhetorical questions are designed not to elicit answers but to make an argument or start a dialogue. Henry uses rhetoric to usher his audience along his own path of reasoning. Furthermore, he presents multiple rhetorical questions in succession. In doing so, Henry establishes common ground with his fellow delegates, for the answers to these questions are answers that the whole party will have in common. Even if men differed in opinion about specific courses to take, they were unlikely to disagree about the broad strokes that Henry invokes to support his arguments.

The first rhetorical questions appear in the second paragraph of the speech. Henry asks if “wise men” would allow themselves to abandon the pursuit of freedom, failing to notice their surroundings and take appropriate action (Paragraph 2). The inferred answer would be no, and since the delegates envision themselves as wise men, the question also implies that they should more actively pursue liberty.

There are also rhetorical questions in the third, fourth, and final paragraphs of the speech. Henry asks a series of questions that demand to know why colonists would still trust the British after their conduct toward the colonists over the previous decade. Henry poses these questions anticipating that no man among the convention would be able to articulate a good reason and asserts that they fear war (Paragraph 3). He poses a series of questions that begs to know what more the colonists could have done to avoid a violent confrontation. Again, the inferred answer is that there is no answer—the colonists could not have done more (Paragraph 3).

The rhetorical questions in the fourth and fifth paragraphs serve as rallying statements and motivation. For example, Henry asks, “When shall we be stronger?” and “Why stand we here idle?” (Paragraphs 4, 5). Henry asks these questions to move the delegates toward action, capitalizing on the strength that Henry insists they already possess.