Most Americans know Patrick Henry as a fiery speaker whose pronouncement "Give me liberty or give me death!" rallied American defiance to the British Crown. But Henry's skills as an orator -- sharpened in the small towns and courtrooms of colonial Virginia -- are only one part of his vast, but largely forgotten, legacy. As historian Thomas S. Kidd shows, Henry cherished a vision of America as a virtuous republic with a clearly circumscribed central government. These ideals brought him into bitter conflict with other Founders and were crystallized in his vociferous opposition to the U.S. Constitution. In Patrick Henry, Kidd pulls back the curtain on one of our most radical, passionate Founders, showing that until we understand Henry himself, we will neglect many of the Revolution's animating values.

The overtly obvious and seemingly malicious maligning of our Founders by many Americans within our systems of education, government, and media is being performed with a greater intensity at the passing of each year. This constant, incessant, and relentless barrage of misinformation and falsehoods about their beliefs, character, and intentions is not only blatantly unjust on its face, it is being done to achieve a larger goal. What might that goal be? Perhaps to "transform" the country from its original foundational structures to one of power and control for the benefit of the "favored few." How might this be achieved? It can only be accomplished by destroying its original identity, of which many mechanisms must be effectively applied e.g. dumb down and divide the citizenry, make alteration of its true history and legitimacy, and make chaos of its laws. Indeed, rid it of its groundwork in natural law and rights; rid it of the republican-federal arrangement; rid it of the ringing of the bells of freedom and liberty due its people. If these be achieved and the house divided, it surely will no longer stand and might more-easily be enslaved. The work you hold in your hand is the first of a three-volume series designed to inform you of whom our Founders actually were""how they formed their beliefs, how they fought with tyranny, how they understood the vices due humanity and its relationship to corruptive government, and how they implemented a system of limited authority to both promote liberty and check coercion and autocracy through both limited and separation of powers. The relevance and gravity to fully understanding these facts, even against the backdrop of difficulties with institutional slavery and illegal confiscatory actions of property, is crucial for the survival of both our national and individual identities. They intentionally structured our form of government to promote our God-given and inalienable rights due us to protect of our labor, private property, and wealth against those within the ruling classes of the church-state strongholds. The time has fully arrived to allow our Founders to speak for themselves. You should, however, hold no pre-conceived biases one way or the other; hold no fantastical favors for or against these men and women whom we identify as "Founders;" nor hold anything but truth as your guide since it is quite possible that your historical frame of reference will be severely shaken. It is best you simply strap in! "Tullius"

In this action-packed history, award-winning author Harlow Giles Unger unfolds the epic story of Patrick Henry, who roused Americans to fight government tyranny -- both British and American. Remembered largely for his cry for "liberty or death," Henry was actually the first (and most colorful) of America's Founding Fathers -- first to call Americans to arms against Britain, first to demand a bill of rights, and first to fight the growth of big government after the Revolution. As quick with a rifle as he was with his tongue, Henry was America's greatest orator and courtroom lawyer, who mixed histrionics and hilarity to provoke tears or laughter from judges and jurors alike. Henry's passion for liberty (as well as his very large family), suggested to many Americans that he, not Washington, was the real father of his country. This biography is history at its best, telling a story both human and philosophical. As Unger points out, Henry's words continue to echo across America and inspire millions to fight government intrusion in their daily lives.

"An authoritative biography of founding father Patrick Henry that restores him to his important place in our history and explains the formative influence on his thought and character of Virginia, where he lived all his life."--Provided by publisher.

This engaging book harnesses the uncertainty and excitement of the Constitutional debates to show readers the clear departure the Constitution marked, the powerful reasons people had to view it warily, and the persuasive claims that Madison and his allies finally made with success.

"'Give me Liberty, or give me Death'!" is a famous quotation attributed to Patrick Henry from a speech he made to the Virginia Convention. It was given March 23, 1775, at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, ..