Liberty or Death: Patrick Henry, Theatrical Song, and Transatlantic Patriot Politics
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Published:2023-06
Issue:3
Volume:21
Page:491-505
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ISSN:1559-0895
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Container-title:Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal
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language:en
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Short-container-title:eam
Abstract
abstract: This “Consider the Source” piece examines the origins of Patrick Henry’s well-known phrase “Give me liberty or give me death!” It suggests that Henry may have borrowed from one of the least elevated of literary contexts: a comedic musical interlude from the London stage. This potential connection both affirms the transatlantic nature of American revolutionary rhetoric and shows that the locus of this rhetorical exchange was socially broad, occurring across “low” as well as elite genres.
Subject
Literature and Literary Theory,Music,Philosophy,Religious studies,Visual Arts and Performing Arts,History,Cultural Studies