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[ MUSIC ]
Harlow Giles: Patrick Henry was really the voice of the Revolution, and it was his speech
that rallied Americans to fight. He certainly ranks among the top, if not the greatest order
in history. He was totally uneducated and grew up a typical farm boy in the mountains
of Central Virginia. He started reading Shakespeare and would practice the speeches in Shakespeare,
practice the pauses. His speaking was gripping and people listened to him carefully and his
words were usually unforgettable.
Virginia at the time was the largest, most powerful colony among the 13 colonies. Patrick
Henry, with his "Give me liberty, or give me death" speech convinces the House of Delegates
of Virginia to declare independence and to go to war against Britain. Without Virginia,
there would have been no Revolution. That was the turning point of the war and Patrick
Henry was more responsible for getting the Revolution underway than any other Founding
Father.