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Patrick Henry's Speech In The Virginia House Of Burgesses

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Patrick Henry almost certainly didn’t issue the defiant cry “if this be treason, make the most of it” or any of the deathless remarks confidently attributed to him in the Virginia House of Burgesses in May 1765. The clerk of the convention makes no note of Henry’s speech, and none of those present gave any hint in their correspondence that Henry’s remarks had been particularly edifying that day. Nor, while we are at it, is there any evidence that Henry ever uttered that other famous remark attributed to him “I know not what course others may take; nut as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” Indeed, there is no evidence that Henry ever said anything of substance or found space in his head for a single original thought. He was a country

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