“Give me liberty or give me death!” These are the words of a
famous American who lived over 200 years ago. Patrick Henry
made a passionate speech that motivated people to fight the
British.
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said, “Give me liberty or give me death.”
Some Americans have forgotten his story, but they remember his
famous call to action.
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they haven’t forgotten his famous call to action.
The words are remembered because they are about the strength
of belief and his refusal to accept anything less than success. He
didn’t say, “Give me liberty or give me a delicious steak dinner.”
He didn’t say, “Give me liberty or give me a good paying job.”
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me a good paying job.”
He said, “Give me liberty or give me death!” There was no
alternative to liberty for Patrick Henry. He would only accept
complete freedom. The power of belief is a very American ideal. If
your belief is strong enough, anything is possible.
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believe that if your belief is strong enough, anything is
possible.
If you don’t accept failure, anything is possible. If you refuse to
give up, anything is possible. 250 years earlier, a Spanish man
named Cortez understood this very well. He understood the
power of belief, and the power of not accepting failure. Cortez
was a soldier and explorer.
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soldier and explorer.
He is most famous for conquering much of the land that is now
Mexico. At that time, most of Mexico was controlled by the
Aztecs, a very large and powerful empire of Native Americans.
Cortez arrived in 1519 with only 11 ships and 500 soldiers.
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His goal was to conquer the Aztecs, who had a population of
20,000,000. The Aztecs had controlled most of Mexico for 300
years. After only three years, Cortez and his small army would
completely defeat the Aztecs.
His goal was to conquer the Aztecs, who had a population of
20,000,000. The Aztecs had controlled most of Mexico for 300
years. After only three years, Cortez and his small army would
completely defeat the Aztecs
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controlled Mexico for 300 years.
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Cortez to defeat the Aztecs?
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defeat the Aztecs.
How was it possible for such a small army to conquer such a big
empire? One reason was the Spanish were much more
advanced in the art of war.
They had better strategies and better weapons.
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This gave them big advantages, but not enough to conquer an
empire of 20,000,000.
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population of 20,000,000.
The Aztec empire was large and powerful, but they were not
completely united. Politics and infighting within the Aztec empire
made them weak. Fighting between Aztec tribes and the
neighbors of the Aztecs was also common. Cortez used this to
divide and conquer. He made many deals with different Aztec
tribes and neighbors of the Aztecs to support him against the
Aztec rulers. In addition to modern weapons and the political
skills of Cortez, he was also a very lucky man.
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helped him conquer the Aztecs?
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the Aztecs.