"gracious reception of our petition..."See in text(Text of Henry's Speech)
In a passage that exudes irony, Henry mocks the British Parliament’s lackluster response to the American colonists’ “Petition to the King.” He describes it sarcastically as a “gracious reception.” The British Parliament’s neglectful response enraged Henry and the other founders. Only a few months later, the Second Continental Congress reacted to the King’s response with the “Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms,” written by Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson.
