Nathaniel is a simple seventeen year-old farmer’s son who lost his father in the war. Now he wishes to join the fight and avenge his father’s death. He is nothing but a drummer boy but he carries his father’s pistol: a gift before he left for battle. He wishes to accomplish what his father couldn’t – the guarantee of a safe home for his children. He believes that the most impactful part of Thomas Paine's speech was the emphasis on fighting for our children's future, just as his father tried to do.

His Speech: 

Three years ago, my father answered the call of war, joining the Continental Army to insure freedom for his children, for my children, and for the children of these United States.  A year ago, I received a letter from General Washington’s right-hand-man, Alexander Hamilton, with news that no man wants to hear. My father died serving his country against tyranny and injustice, knowing that it was better to fight and die than to live under British oppression. My father is not the only man who has died in this great struggle – over one thousand fathers, brothers, sons, and friends have died. Let us join together so they shan’t die in vain, for if they suffer on the battlefield, then it will only be a matter of time before (as Paine well put) “The far and the near, the home counties and the back, the rich and the poor, shall suffer or rejoice alike.” So let us all stand together as one people, to fight for our homes, our families, our lives, and our freedom.

My name is Arthur Chamberlain and I am twenty years old. I grew up on a farm in Northern Pennsylvania. Currently, I am a soldier in George Washington’s army fighting against the British. I do not like being controlled by the King or anyone for that matter. I believe that the people of America should be able to live a free, religious life without paying constant taxes or having to listen to the king’s subordinates. That is the reason I fight. 

Response:

Here me a man of humble beginnings, is not true that we have fought bravely so far? I believe that we need to continue our fight for independence from Great Britain. Yes, we lost our last battle, but that is no reason to give up. We’re hungry, tired, have watched our friends and family die. We will never give up until we have reached our goal, freedom. Why should we continue to listen to their outrageous demands? We should be free to live our lives the we want without feeling pressured into reforms or overwhelmed by regulations. We will stand and fight for the future of this land and our children!

 My name is John Blair. I was born at Williamsburg in 1732 and graduated from William and Mary and studied law. I come from a well respected family with a lot of wealth. I consider myself an active patriot, I pledged to abandon importation of British goods until the townshend acts were repealed. Since I studied law I know my rights and I feel Britain is depriving the colonies of liberty.  I sat on the committee that framed a declaration of rights as well as the plan for a new government. I usually side with the virginia delegation. I am encouraged to fight when Henry says, “For my own part I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate.¨ This is impactful to me because I feel anger towards Britain for enslaving us and I want to overcome my oppesor for my freedom. 

Dear fellow delegates,

I have come to you today to encourage you to support this war of independence. We have been mistreated by the monarchy with their selfish taxes and acts. As a lawyer, I understand man’s natural rights and I believe we should be equal to Britain. They believe we are here in the colonies to supply their wealth, but they do not realize we will challenge them. And trust me! I will not mislead you. I want equal rights for everyone instead of this tyranny we are being subjected to. Do we want our children to grow up under this corrupt influence. We need to give a better life to our children because they are our future. And God so loved the world, that He would not want His children to be enslaved. Like Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land, we are those enslaved people! He will lead us out of our struggles, because He does not want us to live this under absolute rule. Like Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty of give me death!” In conclusion, we shall fight for our independence as one!

Speech
Gentlemen, for I respect you and all of your opinions honorably, I must concur with the ideals of Thomas Pain. I believe that his intentions are for the well being of every individual, especially in his ideas for an American Revolution. I most certainly believe that if every individual contributes to this revolutionary battle, we may finally be freed from British tyranny and achieve a brighter future for our next generation. As I listened to Thomas Paine he said one thing that resonates with me to this day, he said “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.”, “For so unlimited power can only belong to God.” This is important to a family and God loving man such as myself. I feel as though even if my wife and my 6 kids, dread my absence they will understand for I am doing this for them. Through my personal experience of having radiant children as well as a beautiful wife, I most certainly do not want to let British tyranny to corrupt their futures. This ideal should be widespread because I believe that every individual in this room cares about their offspring, and that if every man contributes, we will be freed from British oppression and all have prosperous life because of the removal of high British taxes.We shall take on the burden of the British and leave them unable to handle the wrath of the Americas. This I believe and for you my fellow men, do not think of yourselves, think of those around you, struggling day by day, think of those who need the care. If you can not fight for yourself, fight for them, fight for freedom.

Patrick Henry’s speech ignited a flame in me that says we must fight for freedom. I am a merchant in Boston, I cannot feed my kids, and taxes are high.The British stay in our homes pretending to guard us and our kids should not be living in bondage from the tyranny of man. When Patrick Henry said, “Our chains are forged!” it awakened the anger that I hold for the British. The British treat us as slaves, less than human and we need to do something about it. They have caused us grief and strife from events like, the Boston massacre, where five innocent lives were taken, and the unjust taxes that they forced upon us. We cannot let them control us anymore! I say fight against oppression! I choose liberty, and like Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death!” (103)

Speech

In my life, I have seen much struggle as well as experiencing it. Yet despite all that, none of that will be stronger than my hatred and abhoration of the Fiend that is the British Empire! Why do we as a people still follow a cruel, heartless, regime as we do now? Our perspective has been thrown away by them like it is nothing, the tariffs at yet to end, and even our own houses have become into a domicile for the “expert and enlightened” British military. Are we to sit back and accept these grievances?

I have witnessed my own family meet their own, sad end, at the hand of the British. Though many would consider the capsizing of a “fine” British vessel to be the mistake of mechanical error rather than that of man, it was not! The classless, insolent, and psychotic Captain of the vessel was to blame! Rather than do his craft properly, he choose to quaff down some of the ships ale with his crew instead. What rational Empire would allow a man who is this irresponsible pilot a commercial craft through the Atlantic? Are we to sit back and accept these grievances?

I understand that some may be hesitant in this fight for our freedom.  Others may not be in agreement with these statements made today.  But we shall not let our repulsive oppressors treat us as their slaves and 🤬 our own brothers and sisters for humor.  What men are we, if we take this with a grain of salt, and allow these ghastly acts to occur?  We are not men if we do this, we are nothing but filth. Are we to sit back and accept these grievances?  NO!  We are our own people! We will fight back! We will not stand down! We, will form a new, more perfect union, free from the grasp of the British.

I have twelve brothers, and I am youngest of all of them. I am married to a fair young maiden by the name of Clara Millsworth - Thomas. We have one young child, a little boy named Samuel William Thomas II. He is 7 years old. 

I hope to be home by Christmas, however, we may be under British rule. The war does not appear to be going our way, and the reds still have control of four of our northern ports. The fighting on the battlefield has been harsh and we have lost 126 men. The British have lost 347 of their men though, so they have more casualties, but they also have more men. 

 As a man in the Continental army, I have witnessed a lot in the last few months. I have seen my brothers fall, fighting for the freedom of our colony. We knew when we began the fight, the outcome would either be to win the freedom we were hoping for, or to lose the little freedom we had. I heard a speech the other day that evoked a fatherly sense of fighting from within me. It made me realize that if the war goes on for much longer, my son may have to join the frontlines. I have witnessed things worse than I deemed imaginable, and more than enough for one lifetime, but I would endure it twice over so my son doesn’t have to. If we don’t win this war soon, our sons will be the ones to take our place. So let’s win this war and win it quickly! For the freedom of our sons!

As the son of a wealthy slave owner I was against the war at first, but after hearing Thomas Paine’s speech, I now realize that I have been wrong.  This war needs to happen for the greater good of everyone.  All men deserve their freedom and independence.  The evil that tries to control us needs to be stopped.  We need not to fight for ourselves but for the future of our country and our children’s future and their children’s future and the future of all generations to come.