"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...."See in text(Text of Henry's Speech)
With the second iteration of the chain metaphor, Henry emphatically exclaims that the “chains are forged!” He uses an appeal to pathos, amplified by the auditory imagery of the clanking chains, to encourage his audience to revolt.
"Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded;..."See in text(Text of Henry's Speech)
With the use of parallel structure, Henry reiterates each of his points and highlights how the British have wronged the Americans. This list also employs asyndeton and anaphora in the repetition of “our” at the beginning of each phrase. The vitriolic barrage of insults serves to further compound his point and rile up his audience in his favor.
"We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne..."See in text(Text of Henry's Speech)
Here, Henry appeals to his audience’s emotions by laying out all the ways that Americans have tried to ameliorate their relationship with the British: they have petitioned, remonstrated, supplicated, and prostrated. Using asyndeton and anaphora, whereby Henry speaks without conjunctions between the clauses and with the repetition of the phrase “we have,” he expounds his points with storm-like rage. This repetitive technique creates an emphatic, rhythmic quality that powerfully condemns the British.
"we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight!..."See in text(Text of Henry's Speech)
This is Henry’s call to action to the assembly and his answer to the “question before the house.” Up until this point, Henry has been outlining the injustices that the British have inflicted upon the colonists. He has painted the colonists as long-suffering peace-seekers who have been repeatedly disrespected and rebuffed. In his call to arms, he employs the first-person plural pronoun “we” to indicate unity and the word “must” to indicate that fighting is no longer an option but rather a necessity. Henry has explained all of the ways that American liberty has been infringed upon. Now he appeals directly to the sense of patriotism of his listeners by stating that they must take up arms and defend their rights.
"Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received?..."See in text(Text of Henry's Speech)
Henry is referencing the “Petition to the King,” a document approved by the First Continental Congress in October 1774. It reached British Parliament in January 1775 and was given little attention. In fact, King George never formally responded to the petition. Henry draws on the irritation colonial leaders felt towards this blatant disregard for their petition in this speech, which was given nearly two months after the petition reached Britain. The petition addressed the “Intolerable Acts,” which were passed after the Boston Tea Party as a way to penalize Massachusetts for the act of rebellion. The language of the petition offered colonial loyalty to the crown under the condition that Britain agreed to repeal the offending policies.
