Patrick Henry Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death

By  early 1776, bullets had been flying for nearly a year, but the folks in charge still hadn’t made up their minds about what exactly they were fighting for.

Some wanted independence. Others still thought King George might change his mind and patch things up. A few were hoping someone else would decide, so they didn’t have to.

Back in Virginia, Patrick Henry wasn’t waiting for anyone. He already knew where he stood.

Henry wasn’t a soldier. He didn’t carry a musket or march in formation. He was a lawyer—a loud, passionate one—and when he spoke, people listened.

In March 1775, just weeks before the first shots were fired, Henry gave a speech at the Virginia Convention that rattled the walls. No one had ever heard anything like it. The British were sending more troops; he warned. They weren’t coming to keep the peace—they were coming to put chains on the colonies.

People in the audience shifted in their seats. A few whispered to each other. Henry kept talking.

“The war is actually begun,” he said. “Our brethren are already in the field. Why stand we here idle?”

And then came the line that stopped hearts.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!”

You could’ve heard a pin drop. The room was stunned.

That speech didn’t declare independence, but it lit a fire. Patrick Henry wasn’t asking for anyone’s permission. He was done waiting.