Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death

These infamous words closed the impassioned speech Patrick Henry delivered at the Second Virginia Convention in 1775. With this speech, he persuaded the convention to mobilize troops to defend Virginia against the British. No official transcription of Henry’s address exists; biographer William Wirt compiled the most definitive version in his biography of Henry, based on the recollections of other early Americans like Thomas Jefferson. While the exact words of this historical speech may be debated forever, the sentiment behind this record rings true to Revolutionary American spirit.