Matthew Perkins, age 13, of McAllen, Tex., for his question:

WHO SAID 'GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH'?

A famous statesman and orator named Patrick Henry was a delegate to the first Continental Congress in 1774. Urging his fellow colonists to get ready for the revolution that was soon to coma, Henry said these fighting words:

"I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death."

Henry was born in Virginia is 1736. He was the son of a frontier farmer who had come to the colony from Scotland. As a young man he tried his hand in a store as a clerk sad for a time even had his own store. But he finally turned to law and quickly became a successful and popular lawyer, serving frontier farmers.

One of Henry's cases that brought him much attention was called the Parson's Cause. Henry proved that the practice of paying ministers with tobacco was wrong.

In 1765, when he was 29 years old, Henry was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. There he fought against the Stamp Act, which the British Parliament had just passed. The new law demanded that the colonists pay a tax on all newspapers sad legal documents.

Henry wrote the Virginia Resolutions saying that the British didn't have the right to tax the colonists. In debate he said: "Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell and George the Third may profit by their example." When some shouted "Treason," Henry answered: "If this be treason, make the most of it."

The resolutions passed.

Strangely, in 1776, Henry was against the Declaration of Independence and didn't sign it. He believed that there should first be a union between the colonies and a promise of friendship from France and Spain.

From 1776 to 1778 Henry was governor of Virginia and he again served is that high office from 1784 to 1786.

The 13 states joined together under the Articles of Confederation, but Henry was critical, believing that the central government under the Articles was too weak

when the Constitutional Convention was called  in 1787, Henry refused to attend. He didn't like the Constitution because he was afraid that under it the central government would be too strong. Because of his many years on the frontier, he feared a government that would put the needs of the Easters businessman ahead of the frontier farmer.

Henry wasn't able to prevent the acceptance of the Constitution, but his critical comments were enough to fire up many supporters of a Bill of Rights.

George Washington at first wanted Henry to become secretary of state and then later urged him to serve as the Supreme Court's chief justice. Henry turned the President down on both job offers.

Henry was elected to the Virginia state legislature in 1799 but died before he could take office.