March 23, 2013 - Anniversary of an Influential Speech

Anlot of history books written for kids quote a phrase here or therenthat paint a simple, heroic picture of particular bits of history.n“The British are coming, the British are coming!” is an example.nSome history books have Paul Revere shouting these words of warningnas he rode his horse from Charlestown to Lexington in April of 1775.
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nBut in actual fact, Revere rode as silently as he could, since thenBritish were actually already there: the countryside was filled withnBritish army patrols, and most of the American colonists stillnconsidered themselves British citizens and were loyal to the King.nInstead of shouting a message to all, Revere stopped at the house ofnpretty much every “Patriot” – by which I mean “rebel,”nthose who wanted to declare independence from England and fight, ifnnecessary, for the right to do so. In a low voice, Revere told eachnof the Patriots, “The Regulars are coming out,” referring to thenregular, official British army. Many of the Patriots jumped ontontheir horses and rode to tell their neighbors with the same warning.nBy the time Revere reached Lexington, around midnight, there may havenbeen 40 or more horsemen riding as silently as they could managenwhile still giving the not-famous warning.
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Almostna month before that famous ride, another event had spurred anothernoft-quoted phrase: “Give me liberty, or give me death!” Today isnthe anniversary of the that quote.

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nOnnthis date in 1775, a man named Patrick Henry spoke to the other menn(yes, they were all men!) in the Virginia House of Burgesses. As angroup, they were undecided as to whether or not to mount a militarynforce against the British. The British Parliament had been making anlarger and larger proportion of the American colonists angry, withnthe Sugar Act, the Currency Act, the Stamp Act, the Quartering Act,nthe Declaratory Act, the Townshend Revenue Act, the Tea Act, and fivenacts called, together, the Intolerable Acts. British soldiers hadneven fired on American colonists, killing five, in the BostonnMassacre. Colonists had passed resolutions, had boycotted Britishngoods, had fought back by attacking a British ship (check out the Gaspee Affair!), and had protested with the Boston Tea Party.

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nItnseemed to many that war was inevitable. Others probably still hopednto remain a part of Great Britain or to separate peacefully.

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nPatricknHenry apparently thought that the colonists had to take action. Rightnaway. And so he used his oratorical skills to change the undecided’snminds.

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nWouldnit surprise you to know that we don’t really know for sure whatnPatrick Henry said that day? Nobody was filming or taping the speechn(of course! since the technology did not yet exist!), but nobodynwrote it down right away, either. Forty-two years after the speechnwas made, a biographer named William Wirt tried to recreate thenspeech using oral histories. This is Wirt’s recreation of the verynend of Patrick Henry’s speech:

n “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”

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nAnd,nWirt writes, the entire crowd jumped up and shouted “To arms! Tonarms!”

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nHere’snwhat we know:

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n Thisn speech did apparently move enough of the men to pass a resolution ton commit Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War.

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n Henryn was known as a hypnotic orator. Thomas Jefferson said about hisn speeches, “Although it was difficult, when [Henry] had spoken, to tell what he had said, yet, while speaking, it always seemed directly to the point. When he had spoken in opposition to my opinion, had produced a great effect, and I myself had been highly delighted and moved, I have asked myself, when he ceased, ‘What the devil has he said?‘ and could never answer the inquiry.”

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nInnother words, Patrick Henry was able to move people by appealing tontheir emotions, but it was hard to remember just what he had said.nHis speeches were probably not as strong on logical argument as wenmight hope.

n Henryn was also known to appeal to people’s fears of Indian and slaven revolts in order to manipulate them. I found Henry’s wordsn (according to Wirt) “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to ben purchased at the price of chains and slavery?” to be terribly,n terribly ironic, since Patrick Henry purchased at least 78 slavesn during his lifetime! I imagine he wasn’t trying to move his ownn slaves to revolt against their chains with these same words!

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nAlsonon this date:

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