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1、GivemeLiberty,orGivemeDeath!"isaquotationattributedtoPatrickHenryfromaspeechhemadetotheVirginiaConvention.ItwasgivenonMarch23,1775,atSt.John'sChurchinRichmond,Virginia,andiscreditedwithhavingswungthebalanceinconvincingtheVirginiaHouseofBurgessestopassaresolutiondeliveringtheVirginiat
2、roopstotheRevolutionaryWar.AmongthedelegatestotheconventionwerefutureUSPresidentsThomasJeffersonandGeorgeWashington.Reportedly,thoseinattendance,uponhearingthespeech,shouted,"givemelibertyorgivemedeath!"[1]OverviewThetextofthisspeechfirstappearedinprintinLifeandCharacterofPatrickHenr
3、ybyWilliamWirtwhichwasfirstpublishedin1816,seventeenyearsafterPatrickHenry'sdeath.In1815,Wirtwrotetoafriend,"from1763to1789...notoneofhisspeecheslivesinprint,writingormemory.Allhisdictoldmeis,thatonsuchandsuchanoccasion,hemadeadistinguishedspeech".[2]Wirtcorrespondedwithmenwhohadhear
4、dthespeechandotherswhowereacquaintedwithpeoplewhowerethereatthetime.WirtwrotetoJudgeSt.GeorgeTucker,whohadbeenpresentforthespeech,that"IhavetakenalmostentirelyMr.Henry'sspeechintheConventionof'75fromyou,aswellasyourdescriptionofitseffectonyouverbatim."[3]Tucker'saccountwasbaseduponre
5、collectionsandnotnotes.Tuckerattemptedareconstructionofonlythefirsttwoparagraphsofthespeech.Tuckerwrote,"InvainshouldIattempttogiveanyideaofhisspeech".[4]Whilethisimpliesadegreeofuncertaintyoverthecontentofthespeech,theamountofresearchdonebyWirtintheprocessofcreatinghistextstronglyar
6、guesthathewasabletoaccuratelyreconstructthekeypoints,especiallythefamousquoteitself.Itisgenerallyagreed[citationneeded]thatitendedwith,"Itisinvain,sir,toextenuatethematter.Gentlemenmaycry,Peace,Peace—butthereisnopeace.Thewarisactuallybegun!Thenextgalethatsweepsfromthenorthwillbringto
7、ourearstheclashofresoundingarms!Ourbrethrenarealreadyinthefield!Whystandwehereidle?Whatisitthatgentlemenwish?Whatwouldtheyhave?Islifesodear,orpeacesosweet,astobepurchasedatthepriceofchainsandslavery?Forbidit,AlmightyGod!Iknownotwhatcourseothersmaytake;butasforme,givemelibertyorgiveme
8、death!"Ear-w
