Summary
Patrick Henry was a leading Virginian voice for resistance to British authority.
Historical role
He matters here because his speeches and political leadership helped radicalize colonial resistance and gave the broader movement some of its most memorable language. He is especially associated with the Virginia Resolves and with the 1775 speech in which he argued that colonists should choose liberty over submission, helping crystallize the rhetoric of resistance around phrases such as "give me liberty, or give me death!"
Connections
Useful for linking Virginia politics, revolutionary rhetoric, and the escalation from protest to war.