"Give me liberty or give me death"

Although this famous document declared independence, it recognized that liberty could not be preserved unless the new nation acknowledged its dependence upon God. The brave men who initiated and signed it realized that genuine freedom comes only through reliance upon the almighty.

V. HISTORY

A. Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of Scripture for the people of this nation.

1. Patrick Henry, who is called the firebrand of the American Revolution, is still remembered for his words, "Give me liberty or give me death;" but in current textbooks, the context of these words is omitted.

2. Here is what he actually said:

a. "An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone. 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."

3. These sentences have been erased from our textbooks.

VI. Was Patrick Henry a Christian?

A. The following year, 1776, he wrote this:

1. "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here."