Before we get to "Now," we need to think about a couple of "Thens."

First, let's think about the speech Henry really gave at the Second Virginia Convention on March 23rd, 1775. It almost certainly was not this one. The speech we have was (probably) reconstructed by St. George Tucker for William Wirt's biography more than thirty years after the fact, so we don't know that Henry said these exact words…though we can be pretty sure that his overall point was the same.

What is certain is that the speech made a big impact on Henry's listeners, and that it inspired them to vote to form militia companies throughout Virginia.

Whatever Henry actually said, it's the speech as recorded in William Wirt's questionably accurate biography that entered American memory, along with the crazy-famous final line.

To tell the truth, that final line is the only part of this speech the average person remembers today. Most people wouldn't be able to tell you it was part of a speech about raising a militia. It's the idea of fighting for liberty or freedom that entered the American consciousness, and it's an idea that has been referenced in every American military action to the present day.

Patrick Henry himself, thanks to that final line, has gone down in history as a firebrand for freedom and as a champion of individual liberty. Since he was opposed to a strong central government, he'd probably be okay with that.