Give me liberty or give me death!

Patrick Henry, one of America’s leading founding fathers, had humble beginnings but rose through determination, diligence, and grit. As a young man, he tried farming and store-keeping but failed. Deciding to become a lawyer, he taught himself law and public speaking. Well-argued cases, his friendliness, integrity, and a growing network of friends won him a seat in the Virginia legislature.

About ten years later, in 1775, because of Great Britain’s war preparations, Patrick Henry delivered a speech that persuaded the Virginia colony to fight for independence. “Give me liberty or give me death!” is America’s most famous and consequential speech. Eyewitnesses recall a slow beginning, a moving rise, and a conclusion that changed world history.

Patrick Henry became Virginia’s first governor. American founders, including George Washington, revered him. His prudence and wisdom led to the passage of the Bill of Rights.

I recommend reading the speech to your children and discussing it with them. Note how Henry defines reality and fires the imagination with allusions to the Odyssey and biblical texts.

Finally, I recommend this short biography.