Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death! Theme of Warfare

The war hasn't actually started yet, so in "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!" Henry's dealing with war as a hypothetical idea.

Because the goal of his speech is to convince the Second Virginia Convention of the need for raising a militia, Henry's heavy on the idea that fighting is coming, and in fact, at this point, given everything else Henry and Co. have tried, it's the only option left. In the speech, we see war as the ultimate result of a failure of diplomacy.

Talking it out failed, so now it's fight-time.

Questions About Warfare

  1. Why does Henry believe war is inevitable?
  2. What arguments does Henry present for the possibility of winning a war against Britain?
  3. What rhetorical strategies does Henry use to encourage the war hawks in the audience?

Chew on This

Check out some potential thesis statements about Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!.

Henry's call to arms is an emotional appeal meant to cause his listeners to ignore logical arguments against it.

Henry's call to arms is based primarily in logical arguments with little reliance on emotion.