Patrick Henry Argument On Liberty

Register to read the introduction… Yes, slavery had been abolished, but did the African Americans have equal liberties as the whites did? They did not. They could not vote, nor have good paying jobs, and were socially segregated from the whites. It was not until the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's when they received full access to all deserving liberties of the American Constitution. Martin Luther King Jr., along with hundreds of thousands of African Americans protested for equal rights and liberties that white Americans possessed. They fought for their rights and freedoms and acquired them. They did not sit back and wait for change to happen, which would have been just dandy with the majority of the United States Congress, and much of America in general. Much of America was content with how blacks were treated unjustly, and would have been that way for years to come. This proves that fighting for your liberty is the only way to obtain …show more content…
Although it might seem that Patrick Henry is tearing down the government, he is not. He is not questioning the government's abilities or the intelligence of the people who run the country. He states, “No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House.” He also does not argue the government's overall goal of American independence, by stating previously “the patriotism” in the previous excerpt of his speech I presented. He knows the government wants independence from Britain, and does not possess a hidden agenda, that contradicts its principles. He just disagrees with how the government is handling the matter by stating, “But different men often see the same subject in different lights...”. Henry is also not arguing the attempts to reconcile with Britain, but in which the time it has taken and no progress being made. He asks, “Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love?”, with the reason to make clear that America has asked and wanted reconciliation with Britain, but for some reason Britain must use threatening armies to scare America into submission. He believes in America, and knows that once the country sticks up for itself, that they can win the battle of oppression, and claim its overall goal of independence. I believe Henry's war cries are evident, and shows …show more content…
While this argument is yet a good one, let us not forget how the American's have advantages. The British would be fighting in the American's backyard. How is this an advantage you might ask? Our soldiers would know the terrain better than any of the British soldiers would. They would know how harsh the winters can be, and would be prepared for the worst, while the British, relatively new to the American climate and terrain would be worn down and defeated in spirit. Battered from the harsh and severe conditions, and also lack of knowledge of the land and certain locations, could leave the British perplexed. Another advantage would be the American spirit itself. They say a creature is most dangerous when its back is against the wall, and if this is not a case for the American's, I do not know what would be. Is this not the case? The American's have much more to fight for and so much more to lose, so their mentality would be much stronger and their will would be more greater than any enemy wanting to take their liberties away. It is not the size of the dog in the fight, but it is the size of the fight in the