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Patrick Henry Oppression

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Oppressed There has never been a day in American history that someone has not been oppressed. During the colonization of America all of the colonies were under Britain’s thumb, then only African-Americans and women were under the rule of white men, and even when African-Americans and women were granted rights, there still hasn’t been true equality. America was founded on the idea that everyone should be free and have inalienable rights, so what went wrong? Two hundred and forty one years ago, Patrick Henry was getting the fight for independence and freedom started. He was strong in believing that people’s rights should be protected and that people should not be oppressed. Henry was able to recognize that Britain was an oppressing force. …show more content…
Britain was extremely overbearing and controlling which is not going to help a country, nor the people in that country, grow. Patrick Henry was finished taking orders for a country from an Island four thousand two hundred and forty two miles away, so he became one of the leading advocates in the fight for freedom. Henry gave his Speech in the Virginia Convention a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed, so there was still a long fight ahead for him. Patrick Henry was so passionate about the justice of having the rights and freedoms that the citizens of the United States of America were entitled to, that he actually said in his speech, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death” (Henry 10). Patrick Henry’s Speech in the Virginia Convention was a powerful speech, but was only the first step of many along the pathway to freedom and equality. Before the country could be equal, it had to be free. To work towards the goal of freedom, Thomas …show more content…
This war took over two centuries to fight. Although slavery has since been abolished, with the help of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War, racism is still a prominent issue in America. Frederick Douglass was one of the anti-slavery activists who was also a former slave. He wrote a narrative like Equiano recalling how miserable slavery is. It was a hard battle and it took a lot out of Douglass. In his narrative he states “I was broken in body, soul, and spirit” (563-570). This quote shows that slavery had many long lasting psychological and physiological effects that cannot be undone. A lot can be learned from Douglass’ and other slaves’ perseverance. Frederick Douglass’ narrative teaches people to stand up for what’s right and to never give up hope that someday things will be better. It also teaches that change doesn't just happen, there is a lot of work that goes into changing the world. Douglass was born into slavery and was twenty years a slave. His original name was Frederick Bailey. He had to change his name to remain free and so he would not be captured again. Slavery took his identity and individuality, so he spent the rest of his life fighting so other African Americans would not have endure the same horrors as him. Slavery may have taken his name, the first twenty years of his life, and

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