Patrick Henry was an American orator, politician and Founding Father who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. He is most known for his “Give me Liberty, or give me Death!” speech. An impassioned promoter of the American Revolution and Independence, Patrick Henry would go onto lead the “anti-federalists†who criticized the United States Constitution fearing that it endangered the rights of the States and therefore individual freedoms. His opposition would be instrumental in the adoption of the Bill of Rights. George Washington offered Henry the Secretary of State post in the first Presidential administration, but he declined due to his distaste for the Federalist political agenda. He would eventually change his tune after witnessing the radicalism of the French Revolution and began to understand the necessity of a secure Federal government.
