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Read other letters about this article
Quote:
"Patrick Henry said it best: Give me liberty, or give me Death."
Actually, Patrick Henry didn't say it best, because Patrick Henry arguably didn't say it.
Mr. William Wirt, who published Henry's speech 18 years after the fact, attributed the quote to Henry and his source for it was not Henry, or Henry's writings, but a Judge who orally recounted his memories of the speech to Wirt.
Henry's devotion to the principle of liberty has been questioned by some scholars who note that, despite the stirring words, Henry retained his slaves following the revolution. What they don't acknowledge, or consider (I say, tongue half in cheek) is that Henry/Wirt says "Give ME liberty," which, like most political speech/acts, centers entirely around the self.
