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Added to "Patrick Henry"
At the Congress in [[Philadelphia]] that fall, Henry distinguished himself by his forward-looking position on a number of issues. He called for the creation of a representative government for all the colonies, as a means of preserving American liberties and preparing for a contest with the British, and signaled his belief that war was now inevitable, despite the wishes for peace by many of his colleagues: "The present measures lead to war....Arms are a recourse to which we shall be forced, [one that is] afforded us by God & Nature." This was a stance he maintained after the Congress' adjournment and his return to Virginia, openly endorsing the formation of committees of public safety in the counties and the organization of the militia.
At the Congress in [[Philadelphia]] that fall, Henry distinguished himself by his forward-looking position on a number of issues. He called for the creation of a representative government for all the colonies, as a means of preserving American liberties and preparing for a contest with the British, and signaled his belief that war was now inevitable, despite the wishes for peace by many of his colleagues: "The present measures lead to war....Arms are a recourse to which we shall be forced, [one that is] afforded us by God & Nature." This was a stance he maintained after the Congress' adjournment and his return to Virginia, openly endorsing the formation of committees of public safety in the counties and the organization of the militia.
It was his agitation for military preparedness that led to the famous [[Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death]] speech to the Second Virginia Convention in Richmond on March 23, 1775.
It was his agitation for military preparedness that led to the famous [[Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death]] speech to the Second Virginia Convention in Richmond on March 23, 1775. Faced with a reluctance among some convention members to actually sanction armed hostilities, Henry dramatically described the unfolding situation in Massachusetts and the need for the other colonies to come to her aid. The power of his remarks had as much to do with the manner in which he delivered them as the words themselves. At the peroration of his speech,
<blockquote>Henry got to his knees, in the posture of a manacled slave, intoning in a low but rising voice: 'Is life so dear, our peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!' He then bent to the earth with his hands still crossed, for a few seconds, and suddenly sprang to his feet, shouting, 'Give me liberty!' and flung wide his arms, paused, lowered his arms, clenched his right hand as if holding a dagger at his breast, and said in sepulchral tones: 'Or give me death!' He then beat his breast, with his hand holding the imagined dagger. There was silence, broken by a man listening at the open window, who shouted, 'Let me be buried on this spot!' Henry had made his point.<ref>A History of the American People (1997), Paul Johnson, page 148-49</ref></blockquote>
== Quotes ==
== Quotes ==