Road to Liberty: Give Me Liberty

I will never forget that moment, when Patrick Henry's words struck the room like a spark on dry tinder, igniting a fire that would change the course of history. For 10 long years, the colonies had lived under a slow-burning fuse, lit by the Stamp Act, fanned by the bloodshed of the Boston Massacre, and driven faster by the intolerable acts. That fuse was nearly at its end. More than a hundred of us filled those pews. Washington, Jefferson, Lee, men who would lead our armies, or soon sign their names, to the Declaration of Independence. We met at St. John's Church to decide Virginia's future, peace, or the prospect of war. Some Virginians urged us to act fast, but not everyone agreed. Edmund Pendleton, one of our most respected legal minds, urged patience. He favored petitions and compromise, not an open break with the crown. I agreed with him. If we wish to be free, we must fight. Gentlemen may cry, peace, peace, but there is no peace. The war is actually begun. Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, almighty God. He spoke of chains and slavery, of the storm already upon us. My doubts began to crumble. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death. By a slim vote, we resolved to arm Virginia's militia, the first critical step towards independence. That day, Patrick Henry's words turned my hesitation into resolve. The slow-burning fuse of a decade has found its flame. Henry, you have no idea what you've just done. Within a month, events would move faster than any of us could have anticipated.