# Liberty or Death: You Decide Virginia's Fate
## A Living History Program set in the Second Virginia Convention
### St. John's Church, Richmond, Virginia — March 23, 1775

**Running time:** 30–35 minutes  
**Cast:** George Mason (Presiding), George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Peter Muhlenberg, Patrick Henry  
**Visitor delegates:** Edmund Pendleton, Robert Carter Nicholas, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Nelson Jr., Archibald Cary, Richard Bland, Francis Lightfoot Lee *(cards provided separately)*

---

> **STAGE DIRECTIONS appear in** *italics.*  
> Lines are written to feel natural in performance — interpreters should feel free to vary wording while preserving the substance.  
> Henry's speech in Act III is the program's climactic moment — give it room.  
> **[VISITOR CUE]** marks moments to invite visitor delegates to speak.

---

## OPENING FRAME
### *(Mason steps forward — briefly out of character)*

**MASON/MODERATOR:**  
Welcome. The date is March 23rd, 1775. You are seated as delegates to the Second Virginia Convention, meeting here at St. John's Church in Richmond.

We are not meeting in Williamsburg — where the House of Burgesses normally convenes — because Governor Dunmore is there, and the men in this room do not trust him. Richmond is safer. St. John's Church is the largest building in town, which is why we are in a house of worship rather than a legislative chamber. Make of that what you will.

Five months ago, the First Continental Congress adopted the Continental Association — a colony-wide boycott of British trade in response to the Coercive Acts and the closing of Boston Harbor. Virginia signed it. Virginia has been honoring it. But the situation has not improved. British troops remain in Massachusetts. The port of Boston remains closed. And Parliament has shown no sign of reconsideration.

Today, one of our members — Mr. Patrick Henry of Hanover County — has introduced resolutions to put Virginia in a posture of defense. To arm and train the militia of every county in this colony. In plain language: to prepare for war.

Not everyone in this convention agrees that we are ready for that step. You will hear both sides.

You are the delegates. When called upon, please speak. And at the end — you will vote.

*Steps back into character.*

---

## ACT I — THE CONVENTION IS CALLED TO ORDER
### *(In character — approx. 4 minutes)*

**MASON:**  
*(Taking the chair — measured, serious)*  
Gentlemen, be seated. The Second Virginia Convention is called to order. I am George Mason of Fairfax County, and in the absence of President Randolph, I have been asked to preside.

Before us today are resolutions introduced by Mr. Henry of Hanover. I will ask him to read them before we open debate.

---

**HENRY:**  
*(Standing — calm for now, the fire not yet lit)*  
The resolutions are as follows:

*"Resolved, that a well-regulated militia, composed of gentlemen and yeomen, is the natural strength and only security of a free government."*

*"Resolved, therefore, that this colony be immediately put into a posture of defense, and that a committee be appointed to prepare a plan for embodying, arming, and disciplining such a number of men as may be sufficient for that purpose."*

*(Sets down the paper)*  
I will speak to these resolutions in a moment. First, I believe several of my colleagues wish to be heard in opposition.

---

**MASON:**  
The chair will hear from those members who wish to speak before Mr. Henry's argument. Mr. Jefferson — before we open to objections, I wonder if you might frame what is at stake for delegates who may be less familiar with the military situation.

---

**JEFFERSON:**  
*(Rising — precise and unhurried)*  
I will be brief. The question before us is not whether Virginia has grievances. We all agree it does. The question is whether those grievances have now reached a point where words — petitions, associations, resolutions — are no longer equal to the situation.

The Continental Association was an act of economic pressure. It was the right tool for the moment. But I have been watching the reports from Massachusetts, and I will tell you what I see: the British are not responding to economic pressure. They are responding to it by sending more troops. More ships. More soldiers quartered in the homes of the people of Boston.

At some point, a colony must decide whether it is willing to defend what it claims to believe. That is the question Mr. Henry is asking us to consider — and answer — today.

*(Sits)*

---

## ACT II — THE DEBATE
### *(In character — approx. 8 minutes)*

**MASON:**  
The chair will now hear from members who wish to speak to the resolutions — in favor or against. Who rises first?

*[First, call on visitor delegates who hold Edmund Pendleton or Robert Carter Nicholas or Richard Bland cards — the moderate/opposing voices. This builds the opposition before Henry speaks.]*

---

**[VISITOR CUE — Opposing voices first]**

*Mason calls on 2–3 visitor delegates with opposing or cautious cards (Edmund Pendleton, Robert Carter Nicholas, Richard Bland). After each, one of the following brief responses may be used:*

**WASHINGTON** *(to a cautious visitor):*  
"Your caution is not unreasonable. I held it myself, not long ago. I ask you only: what would it take to change your mind? And will that thing come before or after it is too late?"

**JEFFERSON** *(to an opposing visitor):*  
"You say we are not ready. I agree. The question is whether waiting makes us more ready — or whether it simply gives them more time."

**MASON** *(moderating, to an opposing visitor):*  
"The chair thanks the gentleman. His concerns will be weighed carefully."

---

**MASON:**  
Mr. Washington — Virginia looks to you as its most experienced military officer. Where do you stand?

---

**WASHINGTON:**  
*(Rising slowly — he carries authority without effort)*  
I have spent considerable time in the past year hoping I was wrong. Hoping that the Association would work. Hoping that there were enough reasonable men in Parliament to see what this policy is costing them.

I have stopped hoping that.

*(To the room)*  
I was at Braddock's defeat in 1755. I watched what happens when men are sent into a fight without proper preparation — without proper training, without supply lines, without organization. It is not bravery. It is disaster. And I will not watch Virginians march unprepared into that same mistake.

Mr. Henry's resolutions do not declare war. They ask us to prepare. To organize our militia. To ensure that if — and dare I say, when — the moment comes, Virginia is not caught unprepared and scrambling.

*(Quietly)*  
I have seen unprepared men die. I would rather see prepared men who never have to fight than unprepared men who have no choice but to. I support these resolutions.

---

**MASON:**  
Reverend Muhlenberg.

---

**MUHLENBERG:**  
*(He speaks carefully — there is something personal at work here)*  
I am a minister of the Gospel. I want this convention to understand what it means when a man in my position stands up and says what I am about to say.

I have preached peace. I believe in peace. I have stood in my pulpit in Woodstock and told my congregation that we must exhaust every remedy, every avenue, every prayer before we take up arms against our fellow subjects.

*(A pause)*  
I have exhausted them.

What Parliament has done — what Governor Dunmore and his masters have done — is not a policy disagreement. It is a declaration that the people of these colonies have no rights they are bound to respect. No charter that cannot be revoked. No assembly that cannot be dissolved. No home that cannot be entered. No person that cannot be imprisoned without trial.

There is a time for every purpose under heaven. There is a time to preach — and there is a time when preaching is no longer enough.

*(Looking around the room)*  
I will tell you plainly: when I leave this convention, I am going home to my congregation. And what I say to them from my pulpit will be different from anything I have said before. I ask every man in this room: what will you say to yours?

*(Sits)*

---

**[VISITOR CUE — Supporting voices]**

*Mason calls on 2–3 visitor delegates with supporting cards.*

*Suggested brief responses:*

**HENRY** *(to a passionate patriot visitor — before his speech):*  
"Well said. Remember those words. You may be called upon to act on them sooner than you think."

**MUHLENBERG** *(to a visitor who expresses moral conviction):*  
"That is the voice of conscience. I am glad to hear it in this room."

**JEFFERSON** *(to any visitor):*  
"You have named the question exactly. I hope this convention answers it correctly."

---

**MASON:**  
Gentlemen, we have heard the objections and we have heard the arguments for preparation. Mr. Henry introduced these resolutions, and he has not yet fully made his case for them.

Mr. Henry. The floor is yours.

---

## ACT III — PATRICK HENRY'S SPEECH
### *(In character — approx. 6 minutes)*
### *This is the climax of the program. Give it room.*

**HENRY:**  
*(Rising. He begins quietly — not the fire they expect.)*

Mr. Mason. Mr. President. Gentlemen.

No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism and abilities of the very worthy gentlemen who have spoken before me. But different men often see the same subject in different lights. And therefore I hope it will not be thought disrespectful if I speak forth my sentiments freely — and without reserve.

*(Building slowly)*  
This is no time for ceremony. The question before this convention is one of awful moment to this country. I know many of my colleagues believe that hope remains. That if we speak softly enough, carefully enough, one more time — that the ministry will hear us.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. And by that lamp I ask: what has the past ten years taught us about how this ministry responds to petitions? What has the past ten years taught us about how this Crown responds to reason?

*(He begins to move)*  
They tell us that we are weak. That we are not able to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be next week? Next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and a British guard is stationed in every house?

Gentlemen may cry, "Peace, peace!" — but there is no peace. The war is actually begun.

*(Stronger now)*  
Our brethren are already in the field. Why do we stand here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?

*(A beat — the room goes very still)*

Forbid it, Almighty God.

*(He looks around the room — slowly, deliberately)*  
I know not what course others may take.

*(The pause is long)*  
But as for me —

*(With full force)*  
Give me liberty —

*(Pause)*  
— or give me death.

*He sits. The room is silent for a beat — let that silence hold.*

---

## ACT IV — THE VOTE
### *(In character — approx. 3 minutes)*

**MASON:**  
*(After a moment — quietly)*  
The chair will call the question.

Before the vote, I will speak briefly.

I have spent years arguing that the rights of this colony — of these colonies — are grounded not in the goodwill of Parliament but in the nature of men as free beings. I will stand by that.

What Mr. Henry has said is true. The Association’s call for a united boycott of British goods has been honored by men and women of these colonies. It has been answered not with redress, not with repeal, not with justice — but with more soldiers, trampled charters, and further erosion of our God-given rights. What remains to us — if we believe in what we say we believe — is to be ready.

I vote yes on these resolutions.

*(Resumes the chair)*  
The question is called. All those in favor of Mr. Henry's resolutions — to put this colony in a posture of defense to arm and organize its militia — signify by raising your hand.

*(Visitor delegates vote)*

All those opposed.

*(Mason counts — announces result)*

The resolutions are adopted.

---

*Washington, Jefferson, and Muhlenberg react — quiet satisfaction, gravity, awareness of what this means.*

*Henry remains still — he has said what he came to say.*

---

## CLOSING FRAME
### *(Mason steps briefly out of character — approx. 2 minutes)*

**MASON/MODERATOR:**  
Thank you.

The resolutions passed — narrowly — on March 23rd, 1775. Virginia began organizing its militia. Just three weeks later, on April 19th, 1775, a British column marched out of Boston toward Concord to seize a colonial weapons cache. At Lexington, on the town green, they met a small group of militia. Shots were fired. Eight colonists died. The war Patrick Henry said had already begun — had officially begun.

The speech you heard today was never written down by Henry himself. What we have comes from the memories of men who were in this room — reconstructed decades later. No one who heard it forgot it. Several said it was the most powerful thing they had ever witnessed. One witness wrote that Henry's final words — "give me liberty or give me death" — were delivered with such force that the room sat in silence for several seconds before anyone could speak.

Patrick Henry went on to serve as Virginia's first governor. He never held a military command, but his words raised armies.

Peter Muhlenberg went home to Woodstock.  On January 21st, 1776, he climbed into his pulpit to deliver a final sermon. At the end, he said there was a time to preach and a time to fight — and that time had come. A Woodstock legend says he removed his clerical robes, revealing the uniform of a Continental colonel, and that three hundred men of his congregation rose to enlist before he reached the door. He went on to serve with distinction under Washington at Brandywine and Yorktown.

Two months later, George Washington left for Philadelphia. In 1783, he returned victorious to Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson left Philadelphia near the end of March 1776 to care for his dying mother. He returned to Philadelphia on May 14th and soon began writing a proposed constitution for Virginia. On June 11th, he was appointed to a committee, handed a quill, and asked to draft something. You know what it was.

*(A quiet beat)*  
From this room — in this church — from that tower — rang a bell for liberty.

Please feel free to stay and speak with our delegates. Thank you for being part of the Second Virginia Convention.

---

## DIRECTOR'S NOTES

**Henry's speech:** This is the reason people will remember this program. The speech should build slowly — Henry starts almost conversationally, and the fire comes gradually. The single most important moment is the pause before "give me liberty or give me death." It should be long enough to be uncomfortable. The audience must feel the silence before the words land. Do not rush it. The words themselves are not the speech — the silences around them is.

**Washington:** He is the most credible military voice in the room. His reference to Braddock's defeat is real history — he was there, and it shaped his entire understanding of military preparedness. Let that memory show. He is not angry in this speech. He is resolved.

**Muhlenberg:** His speech should feel like a man arriving at a decision he has been wrestling with for months. The line *"there is a time to preach — and there is a time when preaching is no longer enough"* foreshadows exactly what he is about to do in Woodstock. The closing frame makes that explicit — but the audience should feel the weight of it during his speech.

**Jefferson:** Brief and precise. He does not speechify. He lays out the logic and sits down. His power is in clarity, not volume.

**Mason:** As presider, he is the steady hand. His moment as a delegate — just before calling the vote — should be measured and definitive. He has been listening all morning and he has made up his mind. The vote follows naturally.

**The silence after Henry:** After Henry sits, do not immediately move to the vote. Let the actors react — Washington nodding slowly, Muhlenberg sitting very still, Jefferson studying his hands. Give the audience the same silence the real delegates experienced.

**If the audience votes NO:** Mason should announce it with gravity, and Henry should receive it with dignity — he has said what he came to say. The closing frame should note that history went the other way, and invite visitors to consider what that vote meant.

**The visitor delegate structure:** For this program, call opposing voices BEFORE Henry's speech — not after. The moderates set up the resistance that Henry's speech has to overcome. This gives the speech dramatic purpose. After Henry sits, the supporting visitor voices feel like a tide turning.

## Visitor Cards:

[Edmund Pendleton](card1.html)

[Robert Carter Nicholas](card2.html)

[Richard Henry Lee](card3.html)

[Thomas Nelson Jr.](card4.html)

[Archibald Cary](card5.html)

[Richard Bland](card6.html)
 
[Francis Lightfoot Lee](card7.html)