English 11 / Unit 1: Early American Voices
1.5 The Rhetoric of the Revolution
Notes
As tension with Britain grew, writers and speakers used persuasion to rally colonists.
- Patrick Henry spoke to the Virginia Convention in March 1775, ending with "Give me liberty, or give me death!"
- Henry used rhetorical questions and strong contrasts to push for armed resistance: "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?"
- Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense (January 1776), a clear, forceful pamphlet written for ordinary readers arguing for independence.
- In The American Crisis (December 1776) Paine wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls," to encourage a discouraged army.
- Worked example: Paine's phrase "summer soldier and sunshine patriot" labels fair-weather supporters, a clever way to shame the wavering.
Practice
Why was Common Sense so influential?
Paine wrote for a wide audience and argued for independence.
Henry asks, "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" This is an example of:
The question is asked for effect; Henry expects the audience to agree that liberty is worth more.
In December 1776 Paine wrote that "these are the times that try men's souls." His main purpose was to:
The American Crisis was written to lift morale during hard times.
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