Final answer:
Comparisons in Patrick Henry's speech relate the American Colonists' struggle for liberty under British rule to the plight of enslaved people. George Washington and others used slavery as a metaphor to describe colonial oppression, while simultaneously grappling with the paradox of advocating freedom while practicing slavery.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Patrick Henry's speech, there are several comparisons made between the condition of the American Colonists and that of enslaved people. One significant comparison is made by George Washington in 1774, who likened the plight of colonists under British rule to black slaves, saying that they must assert their rights or be reduced to abject slaves.
Moreover, the colonists' actions of petitioning against oppression could be seen as analogous to enslaved people's struggles for freedom, as their pleas too were often met with ignoring their suffering. The repeated injury in response to their petitions for redress highlighted the colonists' sense of being ensnared in an inescapable situation, much like that of the enslaved.
Furthermore, there is a strong moral questioning of the paradox involved in fighting for liberty while keeping others in slavery, as highlighted in the quote from Davis (2006). This rhetoric of natural rights and freedom, contrasted sharply with the continued existence of racial slavery in the colonies, brought to light the profound hypocrisy of the period.