Why Patrick Henry Is My Favorite Founding Father… and Why We Need Him Now More Than Ever
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
OK, so you’ve heard Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” quote a few hundred times since grade school. But what you may not know is the “rest of the story” as radio host Paul Harvey used to say.
Patrick Henry was born in Hanover County, Virginia in 1736. He was mostly homeschooled and later self-taught, studying hard enough to pass the state bar and become a practicing attorney. Henry’s reputation as an able lawyer and gifted orator soon led to his being elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1765 at the tender age of 29.
It was there, in Williamsburg VA, that Henry delivered his impassioned speech, railing mightily against the Stamp Act. Here is a short, but very powerful, excerpt…
“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
Henry’s words remind me of a similar challenge issued 3,000 years earlier by Joshua to the Israelites shortly before his death. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell,” Joshua said. “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Bam! You talk about drawing a red line in the sand and calling for people to make a decision – one way or the other – instead of straddling the fence. Not only did Joshua (at age 110) refuse to permit the Jews to keep one foot in Egypt and one foot in the Promised Land, but he also led by example.
As did Patrick Henry, serving as part of the First and Second Continental Congresses and later, seven one-year terms as Governor of Virginia. And when, after the American Revolution, he feared that the federal government was in danger of becoming too powerful, he refused an appointment to the Constitutional Convention and actively opposed its adoption until the Bill of Rights was added.
Speaking of lines in the sand, the name William Travis comes readily to mind. A lawyer and lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army, he shared command of the Alamo until Jim Bowie became ill, after which he assumed complete control of the garrison.
On February 24, 1836, Col. Travis wrote a letter addressed “To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World.” Almost two centuries later, it gives me chills to read its contents…
Fellow citizens and compatriots;
I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual Bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken. I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat.
After describing the increasing size of Santa Anna’s army and requesting immediate reinforcements, Travis concluded his letter with the following words…
If this call [for reinforcements] is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country. VICTORY or DEATH.
Such incredible courage and such immortal words!
The night before Santa Anna’s final assault, history records that Travis gathered his men in the courtyard of the Alamo and drew a line in the sand with his battle sword. He asked those who were willing to stay and fight alongside him to cross over the line, while those who wished to try to escape were permitted to do so. All but one of the Alamo’s defenders crossed over the line – including the ailing Jim Bowie carried on a stretcher – in solidarity with the 26-year-old Travis.
My friends, when I read the stirring words of Patrick Henry, Joshua, and William Travis, I wonder where the likes of these men are today. Our beloved country – along with its mostly illustrious history and Judeo-Christian founding principles – is being dismantled piece by piece by Progressives who hate virtually everything that America once stood for.
How I pray that God will raise up another Patrick Henry to sound a clarion call for all true patriots to respond to. And yes, how I pray that – when that call comes – I will be the first to cross over that line in the sand… to protect and preserve everything I hold precious and dear.
