May 29th: On This Day in 1736 - Patrick Henry

May 29, 1736: Patrick Henry was born on this day in Studley, Virginia. He was a brilliant orator and an influential leader in the opposition to British government. As a young lawyer in 1763, he delivered an eloquent defense based on the doctrine of natural rights—the political theory that man is born with certain inalienable rights.

Henry was the first elected governor of the state of Virginia, serving five one-year terms in this office from 1776-79 and again from 1784-86. In 1788 he opposed Virginia's ratification of the new U.S. Constitution because of his concern that the rights of individuals and of states were inadequately protected. After the Constitution was adopted, he continued to work for the addition of the first ten amendments guaranteeing the freedoms that came to be known as the Bill of Rights. His last speech before he died in 1799 was a plea for American unity in response to early arguments favoring primacy of states' rights.

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"Give me Liberty, or give me Death!"

One of the best speeches in history.