Life and Character of Patrick Henry (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Though the author’s former boss, Thomas Jefferson, filed this 1816 biography under “fiction,” there’s no denying this book’s influence—it’s the first record of patriotic orator Patrick Henry’s (1736-1799) “Give me liberty or give me death” speech. Wirt based this life story on eyewitness testimony, and includes speeches unpublished during Henry’s lifetime.