“LIBERTY OR DEATH,” the speech that became the voice of the revolution
May 2007, Richmond, VA—When England taxed the American colonies to pay for the French and Indian war, the colonies became enraged and ardently resisted. What was at stake was the right of the colonists to govern and tax themselves instead of adhering to Britain’s absolute authority over its empire.
In Virginia, Patrick Henry brought the issue to the forefront. His impassioned and eloquent speeches rattled complacent gentry, stirred others to the cause and resonated throughout the colonies. The Community Idea Stations and St. John’sChurch Foundation have partnered to recreate Patrick Henry’s famous words in “Liberty or Death.” This one-hour documentary was filmed at Saint John’sChurch in Richmond, Virginia, the very place the speech was given during the 2nd Virginia Convention of 1775. Today, Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech is one of the most legendary speeches of our nation, and has been grouped in with others that defined the nation, such as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
“Liberty or Death” is is distributed by American Public Television (APT) For 45 years, APT has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public television stations. APT is known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming. It has established a tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and customize their schedules, such as “America's Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated,” “Battlefield Britain,” “TheBig Comfy Couch,” “ Globe Trekker,”“Great Museums,” “Lidia's Family Table,” “Rick Steves' Europe,” “P. Allen Smith's Garden Home,” andother prominent documentaries, dramatic series, how-to programs and classic movies. For more information about APT's programs and services, visit APTonline.org.
The Community Idea Stations are the producers of “East Of The Blue Ridge,” “Laughing Matters With Brett Leake,” “Ground Beneath Our Feet,” “The Music Seen,” “Wilder: An American First”and numerous other series and specials which have been distributed by APT and other national providers of public television programming. The Community Idea Stations are on the Web at
Information
Lynne McCarthy-Jones
804/560.8214