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historyarch OP t1_jdcssxv wrote

Reply to comment by Cactuscouch757 in March 23. 1775- At the Second Virginia Convention Patrick Henry delivers his famous “Give me Liberty or give me Death!” Speech by historyarch

Sure there is. There were witnesses. There were also other indirect pieces. For example, some Virginia militia who signed up after the speech wrote “Liberty or Death” on their hunting shirts. The speech was discussed indirectly and spoken about by many. One person was so inspired he asked to be buried where he stood to listen to the speech (outside a window of St. John’s Church)-- his wish was granted.

The real controversy is over the text. Henry did not keep copies of his speeches so his first biographer, William Wirt wrote to contemporaries to get their recollections.

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Cactuscouch757 t1_jddrc0q wrote

Ah, witness accounts; more reliable than old faithful.

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historyarch OP t1_jde8mxn wrote

You said the speech may not have occurred at all. If there were witnesses, the speech occurred. I acknowledged that there are questions about the actual text.

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Also, witnesses are sometimes way off, but sometimes are very accurate. It is worth noting that Wirt's account of the Stamp Act Speech received by the same method turned out to be very accurate. It turns out the French sent a spy to America in 1765 to gauge the pulse of the colonists. He happened to be in Williamsburg and wrote down the text of the speech. This report was lost for over 150 years and found in the 1920s.

Maybe the Liberty or Death speech is flawed, but maybe another source will emerge that confirms what was actually said. William Wirt spent 12 years gathering evidence and writing the bio. He seems to have taken great pains to present the evidence faithfully. Other parts of his writing have proven accurate-- and he got some things wrong as happens in every bio.

Wirt was also a highly accomplished lawyer including arguing before the Supreme Court and is still America's longest serving attorney general. He's a credible writer.

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