William Wirt

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Illustration

Harrison W. Mark
by James Barton Longacre
published on 12 January 2024
William Wirt Download Full Size Image

William Wirt (1772-1834), an American author and politician who served as US attorney general from 1817 until 1829. Wirt was also a historian, most famous for his biography of Patrick Henry, which contained a reconstruction of Henry's "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech; some modern historians believe that parts, or even all, of the speech was fabricated by Wirt himself.

Engraving by James Barton Longacre, between 1810-1834.

Library of Congress, Washington D.C.

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Cite This Work

APA Style

Longacre, J. B. (2024, January 12). William Wirt. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18311/william-wirt/

Chicago Style

Longacre, James Barton. "William Wirt." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified January 12, 2024. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18311/william-wirt/.

MLA Style

Longacre, James Barton. "William Wirt." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 12 Jan 2024. Web. 26 Jul 2024.

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