Similar To Patrick Henry And Thomas Paine example essay topic

The road to liberty was a rocky one for the United States of America. A revolutionary war decided the fate of this nation. The colonists won the war, not only with the help of weapons and fighting, but also with the aid of great minds such as Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and others. Those founding fathers of America were able to convince the people in the colonies that a revolution was needed and that without one the nation would not progress any further, and eventually would reach a downfall. With the help of essays, documents, speeches, and pamphlets they achieved their goal and an army was organized. Thanks to them the people in the colonies knew why they were fighting the redcoats.

They gave the settlers a will to fight for a new nation. Patrick Henry's "Speech in the Virginia Convention", Thomas Paine's "Common Sense", and Thomas Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence" all had a common purpose. Their purpose was to convince the colonists that a war was inevitable, to explain why the colonists should fight the British, and to give the reasons for breaking away from the British Empire. In the speech to Virginia Convention, Patrick Henry stated that America had been trying to peacefully separate from Britain for ten years, but all the British Crown did was accumulate soldiers and navies around or on the territory of the American colonies. Patrick Henry explained that all this aggression from the British was purposely forced towards America.

He said, "They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry has been so long forging". To show that America tried to negotiate a peaceful separation, Patrick Henry, who was a very talented speaker, presented many arguments that show that Britain was avoiding all petitions, did not want to listen to the colonies, and was being an aggressor. Patrick Henry used a similar technique to Thomas Paine. By the end of his speech, he said, "Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone.

There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us". He uses religious arguments to convince his audience. He explains that God will help the one who is right. At the end of his speech Patrick Henry states that only God can give or take away freedom. This meant that the British had no right to rule over the settlers in America because God, alone can decide whether to give freedom or to take it away.

No nation on Earth had the right to play the role of God, and no nation on Earth had the right to enslave people. Patrick Henry concludes his speech with his most famous line: .".. give me liberty or give me death!" By saying that line Patrick Henry showed that he was very determined to fight for the independence. It helped a lot because this line had a strong impact on the delegates in the Virginia Convention. Thomas Paine wrote his most famous essay, "Common Sense", to convince the colonists that this war was vital for the future of the nation. There were many arguments that were very similar to Patrick Henry. For example, Thomas Paine used a great number of religious arguments in his essay.

He stated that God gave people the right to freedom and liberty. Just like Patrick Henry, he stated that the British are trying "to bind us in all cases whatsoever". By saying this he explained that the British Crown did not want to solve this conflict peacefully, and that Britain would do anything to keep their control over the American colonies. The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and it was one of the most important documents ever in the history of United States of America. Thomas Jefferson stated the reasons why the colonies were breaking away and why they had the right to do so. He gave the reasons why the colonies have the right to abolish their government.

His arguments were similar to Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine. He wrote the following: .".. all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness... ". He stated that it is the duty of the government to secure and to protect those rights.

To explain why the colonists had the right to separate from the British Empire Thomas Jefferson stated two important sentences: .".. that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to abolish it, and to institute new government... ". and. ".. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security". Thomas Jefferson, just like Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry, stated or implied that the King of Britain was a tyrant and that the British Crown had no right to turn the people of the colonies into slaves. Those three founding fathers made a great contribution towards the victory in this war. They all worked very hard to convince the settlers and the elite that this revolution was worth fighting in because it would decide the future of the American nation.

Those three famous works set many guidelines for new principles of democracy and liberty. The "Declaration of Independence,"Common Sense", and the "Speech in the Virginia Convention" all had general principles. To state the reasons for separation, to convince the people that it is absolutely important that everyone would fight in this war, and to declare that only God has the right to give or take away freedom.