Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots

Publishers Weekly

SG While Patrick Henry’s words, “Give me liberty or give me death,” urged fellow colonists toward revolution and shaped his own legacy in the annals of American history, as Baylor University historian Kidd (God of Liberty) points out in this lively portrait, Henry’s greatest contribution to the young republic lay in his challenges to the Constitution, which he believed failed to preserve the ideals of liberty won in the Revolution. For Henry, the Revolution promised a return to the best kind of republic, a virtuous society with healthy and strong local governments. Kidd skillfully traces Henry’s rise from a young farm boy in Virginia to a political figure whose passionate support of liberty won him the friendship of Washington, Jefferson, and Madison, among others. Henry lost much of this support when he opposed the Constitution. In his eyes the Constitution consolidated political power and triggered moral and political tyranny. Although Madison’s amendments—which became the Bill of Rights—were at least partially attempts to placate Henry, he saw these articles as simply protecting enumerated rights from government infringement rather than actually reining in the power of the national government. Kidd’s passionate biography offers compelling new insights into the life of one of America’s most beloved figures. (Dec.)

Library Journal

Kidd (God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution) examines how Patrick Henry's Christian values shaped his radical political beliefs. Kidd convincingly explains that the popular but controversial Henry was passionate about both liberty and virtue and believed that for America to succeed its laws must be grounded in Christianity, with strong local and state (rather than strong federal) government. Henry often put Virginia's, and sometimes his own, interests before those of the nation, in conflict with his rivals James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and other Founding Fathers. This brief work serves best as an exploration and analysis of Henry's values as manifested in his support for revolution and, later, in his opposition to the Constitution. As a biography it has gaping holes, but Kidd's investigation into the role of religion in Henry's politics and the contradictions between what he publicly espoused and personally practiced gives readers fresh, illuminating insight into a leader whose orations inspired revolution and turned a minor lawyer into a political giant. VERDICT Recommended for students and informed lay readers as supplemental reading but not as an introduction to Henry's life and work.—Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia

Kirkus Reviews

A deeper look at Patrick Henry. Henry was a true radical, and his "give me liberty or give me death" speech perfectly illustrated his politics and his struggle for liberty and religious freedom. Moved by the Great Awakening, he agreed with the evangelical preachers who railed against the tax-supported Anglican Church. While he never moved away from the established church, he took up the cause of religious freedom and fought to include it in the Bill of Rights. His speeches against slavery belied his ownership and purchase of slaves throughout his life, illustrative of his moral standings versus his real-life efforts for financial success. His entry into the House of Burgesses was noteworthy because of his speech against the Stamp Act, which many feel instigated the struggle for independence. Henry was a brilliant debater, but in politics he had no patience for deliberation. He was a motivator, not an organizer. Kidd (History/Baylor Univ.; God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution, 2010) illustrates the connections between the revolution, religion and politics. Henry spoke eloquently about the need for virtue and moral courage in his compatriots, even as they refused to join the Continental Army, and the Great Awakening had a deep affect on him. The great preachers trained him to be the most effective orator of the revolutionary period. He surely would have been president had he not so often retired to his law practice, farming and land speculation. His quest for greater riches caused him to refuse appointments and withdraw from politics on a regular basis. Kidd's biography awakens us to the depths of Henry's devotion to liberty and small government.