Patrick Henry Speech

The freedom citizens in the United States is what sets the country apart from many others. This freedom, however, did not come easily. Many U.S. citizens were more than willing to risk their lives for the future of the country. But was all of that sacrifice truly worth it if the only citizens that gained freedom were white males? The United States eventually, however, reached a point where it would allow all races, gender, etc., equal freedoms. By comparing and contrasting the speeches of Patrick Henry, whose speech to the Virginia Convention persuades the audience to fight for OUR right to freedom, and Frederick Douglass’s, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” that expresses the country’s need to abolish slavery, it is clear that freedom …show more content…
He mentions that, “We have done everything that could be done, to avert the storm which is now coming on” (Henry 84). Meaning that people have just sat around for far too long just waiting for things to magically get better, when in fact, things will actually just get worse if action is not taken. Although it is easy to be hopeful for the future, “we are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth” (Henry 83). Freedoms will continues to minimize until U.S. citizens eventually diminish into slaves to Britain. So in the end, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery” (Henry 85)? For many, a life without freedom is not a life worth living. Henry, along with many others at the time, was very passionate about the idea that Americans deserve freedom just as much as the …show more content…
Although some are granted freedom, many African Americans continue to be slaves with little to no freedom. Alike Henry, Douglass agrees that we must “stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, at whatever cost” (Douglass 2). They are both passionate about the idea that Americans must stay true to the fight for freedom and continue to fight until it is achieved . Although both men feel strongly about being liberated, they approach it in very different ways. Henry comes from an extremely patriotic angle, whereas Douglass sounds more ashamed than proud of the country. When describing the Fourth of July he mentions that, “You may rejoice, I must mourn” (Douglass 3), meaning that even in a time of celebration, he views the day from a slave’s perspective. Even though these two men are at two completely different ends of the spectrum of patriotism, they are both hopeful for a better future. Douglass states are the end of his rather gloomy toned speech that, “I, therefore leave off where I began, with hope” (Douglass 5). Henry similarly believed that the future was bright for the United States, only if the American citizens were willing to work for it; and they