Patrick Henry and the Coming Storm of War

¶ … slavery imagery of Patrick Henry's 1775

"Give me liberty or give me death" speech

In his famous 1775 "Give me liberty or give me death" speech, Patrick Henry uttered the words: "for my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate." These words, although stirring, seem profoundly ironic to modern ears given that Virginia was a slave-owning state, dominated by plantations. However, there was a reason that Patrick so vehemently stressed the concept of enslavement in his speech, a reason that is implied in the words "no man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism."[footnoteRef:1] The concept of releasing one's self from the control of a sovereign was a profoundly frightening one to many in an era where a king's divine right to rule was still a dearly-held concept. Henry's speech emphasizes the profound wrongs done to the colonists to justify their actions. [1: Patrick Henry, "Give me liberty or give me death speech," Colonial Williamsburg, 1775, http://www.history.org/almanack/life/politics/giveme.cfm]

The concept of people being enslaved by an unjust sovereign can be traced back to the ideas of John Locke, who stressed that the social contract between a sovereign and his people could be broken if the sovereign reneged upon his responsibilities to the populace and infringed upon their sacred right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Enlightenment philosopher Locke, whose ideas proved to be so influential upon the Founding Fathers "used the claim that men are naturally free and equal as part of the justification for understanding legitimate political government as the result of a social contract where people in the state of nature conditionally transfer some of their rights to the government in order to better ensure the stable, comfortable enjoyment of their lives, liberty, and property."[footnoteRef:2] But individuals always have the right to revolt and form a new government if they do not support the public good. [2: Alex Tuckness, "Locke's Political Philosophy," The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2012 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2012/entries/locke-political / [14 Apr 2014]]

Henry wished to stress that the colonists' decision to revolt was not based upon an idle whim, but upon very serious considerations. "I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings."[footnoteRef:3] Henry's reference to 'earthly kings' is a clear challenge to the notion of the divine right of kings to rule in an unquestioned fashion. If one's country is being overrun by a harsh sovereign, the duty is to revolt not submit, given that this is a violation of the liberty given by human beings to God, which no one can rightly take away, regardless of the nature of kingship. [3: Henry, 1775]

Henry stresses the fact that Britain is preparing itself for war against the colonists and it is foolish to ignore this fact. He specifically uses religious language to indicate what he sees as the betrayal of Great Britain of its colonists, stating "suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss."[footnoteRef:4] To modern ears, this might sound intensely hyperbolic, but it is important to remember that Henry wished to emphasize in his language that the Americans had been betrayed in a Christ-like fashion by the Judas England and thus had a right to act accordingly -- indeed, a duty to act accordingly, given that all men had been given free will by God. Rather than it being holy to submit, Henry stressed that it was quite the opposite to do so, a betrayal of the true nature of the human condition. This is why he feels validated fusing the language of war with the language of religion. "An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!" [footnoteRef:5] [4: Henry, 1774] [5: Henry, 1774]

Henry's invocation of religion and the language of liberty is also necessary because of the formidable task which clearly lay ahead for the colonists. Henry's language indicates his knowledge that the forces of Great Britain are formidable and are not easily overcome by the colonists. He is clearly responding to naysayers who insist that it is foolish to resist, noting that "three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty…are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us…There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations."[footnoteRef:6] Because their cause is right and just, asserts Henry, they will prevail, even though Great Britain has the obvious advantage of dominance as a proven military power. And regardless, given the stakes, asserts Henry, they have no choice but to do otherwise. "There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come."[footnoteRef:7] [6: Henry 1774] [7: Henry, 1774]