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.