Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots

Author: Thomas S. Kidd
Publisher: The Perseus Books Group
Category: History, United States
Book Format: Hardcover

Most Americans know Patrick Henry as a fiery speaker whose pronouncement Give me liberty or give me death! rallied American defiance to the British Crown. But Henry's skills as an orator--sharpened in the small towns and courtrooms of colonial Virginia--are only one part of his vast, but largely forgotten, legacy. As historian Thomas S. Kidd shows, Henry cherished a vision of America as a virtuous republic with a clearly circumscribed central government. These ideals brought him into bitter conflict with other Founders and were crystallized in his vociferous opposition to the U.S. Constitution.

In Patrick Henry, Kidd pulls back the curtain on one of our most radical, passionate Founders, showing that until we understand Henry himself, we will neglect many of the Revolution's animating values.
 

About Thomas Kidd

An Associate Professor of History at Baylor University, winner of a 2006-2007 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, and author of numerous books on American religious history, Thomas S. Kidd lives in Waco, Texas.