Final answer:
In Patrick Henry's speech, the mention of "three millions of people" is an example of using pathos to appeal to the audience's emotions. His speeches often combine ethos, pathos, and logos to engage the audience logically, emotionally, and ethically.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Patrick Henry's famous speech, when he mentions "three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty," he is primarily using pathos as his argumentative approach. This part of his speech appeals to the audience's emotions by evoking a sense of urgency and collective action for the cause of liberty, which is a deeply patriotic and motivational sentiment. While pathos is the predominant rhetorical strategy in this particular statement, Patrick Henry's overall rhetorical style throughout his speeches often blends all three persuasive appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. This triumvirate of rhetorical strategies is incredibly effective in engaging the audience on multiple levels: logically, emotionally, and ethically.
Pathos is used to stir the audience's emotions, making them feel a specific way about the subject at hand. In Henry's case, the use of vivid language and the call to arms for the sacred cause of liberty is designed to incite feelings of patriotism and courage. Ethos, which Patrick Henry also leverages, comes from establishing credibility and authority, often alluding to patriotic ideals, as seen in other parts of his discourse. Finally, logos would be associated with logical arguments, supported by facts and rational thinking, which, while present in some of his arguments, is not the primary appeal used in the reference to the "three millions of people" prepared to defend liberty.