Patrick Henry has been called "The Voice of the American Revolution." To be sure, he was a brilliant orator, and his words catalyzed the founding of the United States (e.g., soldiers often stitched the words "Liberty or Death" on the front of their buckskin shirts). The recurring theme of his speeches was liberty and polltlcal independence. The Founding Fathers were all brave men, but Patrick Henry was perhaps the boldest of the bold, out in front of his colleagues on crucial Issues. Thomas Jefferson would later write that In terms of the revolution. in Virginia, Patrick Henry "was our leader," and "left us all far behind."