![]() ![]() He wasn't the best farmer or the best businessman, but he was almost certainly the greatest orator in 18th century America. Henry was a hardworking lawyer, a somewhat adequate military commander, and a popular, if inconsistent, politician. It's unfair to reduce Henry's career to excerpts from two speeches, but it's also fitting that he's remembered chiefly for his words. ![]() ![]() Without a huge obelisk near the National Mall or an HBO miniseries to remind Americans, Henry seems to be chiefly remembered now for two fiery quotations: "If this be treason, make the most of it!" And the line that became the de facto motto of the American revolutionaries, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" There might not have been a United States if it weren't for Patrick Henry, but as Founding Fathers go, the legendary orator and statesman from Virginia has been somewhat neglected in the national memory. Lion of Liberty: Patrick Henry and the Call to a New Nation ![]()
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