Patrick Henry
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death, 1775
In 1775, as the colonists assembled at the Virginia Convention debated whether to mobilize forces against the British, Henry gave an impassioned speech in support of the resolution from his pew in a Richmond church.
Best Line: "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! — I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"