Person

Patrick Henry

1736–1799 · 18th century

Patrick Henry was a Virginian lawyer and orator who became a leading voice of resistance to British rule. He opposed the Stamp Act in 1765 and in 1775 urged Virginia to arm with the words 'Give me liberty, or give me death!'. He served as the first governor of the independent state of Virginia and later opposed the federal Constitution as a threat to the rights of the states.

Patrick Henry
Image: George Bagby Matthews (1857 - 1943), after Thomas Sully (1783-1872) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Colony of Virginia

Great speeches

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death23 March 1775

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Patrick Henry. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/patrick-henry
MLA
“Patrick Henry.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/patrick-henry. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Patrick Henry.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/patrick-henry.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Patrick Henry’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/patrick-henry (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻