Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death Analysis

When the British government decided to collect additional taxes from the colonies, in a way they were also trying to prove their power over the colonies, but “by natural rights the colonist deserved: a right to life, liberty and property… they also had the right to peaceably and quietly worship God according to the dictates of his conscience” (Samuel Adams, P.1) These rights were not respected by the British, or at least that is what colonies felt at the time, by given them not enough rights, limitating them, using their resources and, in a way, taking advantage of them by recollecting additional taxes, the British were creating a disagreement in how they manage the colonies and how the colonies wanted to be managed, especially since they were …show more content…
It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country” (Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death, P.1) Even thought, Henry was not in agreement with the British he tried to state his opinion in the most respectful way possible, he tried to make it seem like he was not condemned the British, but giving them an opportunity to realize how wrong they were ruling the colonies by stating the fact they were living different experiences, impossible to argue Henry knew more about the situation in the colonies that any British back in the British empire, Ignoring peaceful and coherent complaints was a mistake from them and they suffered the consequences. Henry wasn’t the only one making peaceful protests “Our forefathers… left their native land, to seek on these shores a residence for civil and religious freedom…Parliament adopted an insidious maneuver calculated to divide us, to establish a perpetual auction of taxations… we are reduced to the alternative of choosing an unconditional submission to the tyranny of irritated minister, or resistance by force… In our own native land, in defense of the freedom” (Dickson and Jefferson, P.1, P.3, P.4) With all the protest going on it surprises me that the British Empire never actually considered Colonist complaints, if they were willing to discuss, it …show more content…
One of the other problematic things colonist discussed was the monarchy: “To the evil monarchy we have added that a hereditary succession… For all men being originally equals, no one by birth could have a right to set up his own family in perpetual preference to all others” (Common Sense, P.94) The way the British governed was against everything colonist believe in, it is foolish to think people would let go of their beliefs in order to adapt to other’s beliefs, especially when it was imposed. The British, in the other hand, argued that the Colonist were “…forgetting the alliance which they owe to the power that has protected and supported them” (Proclamation of Rebellion) according to them Colonist were being ungrateful and they refused to look at the problem for another point of view, like Henry stated in his protest. “They [the empire] thus thought of themselves as defending the old institutions and ideals against the subversive innovations of the Americans” (The British Case, P. 90) “In their minds they were convinced that the measures they had regretfully taken toward America were absolutely necessary for the preservation of the Empire.” (The King Refuses to Compromise, P.100) The British used as excuse the fact they thought were doing something good, the problem was the only ones being beneficiated from that were them, even thought they were the ones who invaded another territory and imposed