Patrick Henry

Henry, Patrick (1736–99), statesman, orator, and prominent figure of the American Revolution. Elected to the Virginia legislature in 1765, he persuaded it to reject the Stamp Act, then joined the first Continental Congress in 1774. In a speech at Virginia's second revolutionary convention in 1775, advocating war rather than negotiations, he coined the famous phrase, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” He served as governor of Virginia 1776–9 and 1784–6. He furiously opposed the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788, because he felt it gave too much power to the federal government over states and individuals. Once the Constitution was adopted, he promoted the Bill of Rights.