Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry
George Bagby Matthews (1857 - 1943), after Thomas Sully (1783-1872) · Public domain · source
Name	Patrick Henry
Caption	Portrait by George Bagby Matthews, after Thomas Sully
Birth date	May 29, 1736
Birth place	Studley, Colony of Virginia, British America
Death date	June 6, 1799 (aged 63)
Death place	Red Hill, Brookneal, Virginia, U.S.
Occupation	Planter, Lawyer, Politician
Spouse	* Sarah Shelton * Dorothea Dandridge
Children	17
Office	1st & 6th Governor of Virginia
Term start	1776
Term end	1779
Predecessor1	Office established
Successor1	Thomas Jefferson
Term start2	1784
Term end2	1786
Predecessor2	Benjamin Harrison V
Successor2	Edmund Randolph
Party	Anti-Federalist
Known for	Stamp Act resolutions, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speech

Patrick Henry was a prominent Founding Father, orator, and politician who played a pivotal role in mobilizing colonial opposition to Great Britain in the years leading to the American Revolutionary War. A brilliant trial lawyer and a powerful voice in the Virginia House of Burgesses, he is best remembered for his defiant speeches against Parliamentary authority, most famously declaring "Give me liberty, or give me death!" in 1775. He served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia and was a leading Anti-Federalist who opposed ratification of the United States Constitution, advocating for the Bill of Rights.

Early life and education

Born at Studley plantation in Hanover County, he was the second son of John Henry and Sarah Winston Syme. His early education was provided by his father, a William & Mary-educated Scotsman, and his uncle, an Anglican rector. As a young man, he failed at running a tavern and farming on land gifted by his father-in-law, John Shelton. After studying law on his own for approximately six weeks, he was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1760, displaying a natural talent for courtroom oratory that quickly earned him a reputation across the Colony of Virginia.

Political career

His political career began with his election to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1765, just as the Stamp Act crisis erupted. He immediately introduced the Virginia Resolves, a series of radical resolutions arguing that only the Burgesses had the right to tax Virginians, a direct challenge to the authority of Parliament and King George III. He continued his fiery opposition through the 1760s and 1770s, serving as a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774. In Virginia, he helped lead the militia seizure of gunpowder from the Williamsburg magazine in 1775, a key act of colonial defiance against Royal Governor Lord Dunmore.

"Give me liberty, or give me death!"

On March 23, 1775, he delivered his most famous speech to the Second Virginia Convention meeting at St. John's Church in Richmond. Arguing passionately for raising a militia to confront British military force, he concluded with the immortal peroration: "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" The speech was a decisive moment in galvanizing Virginia and other colonies for armed conflict, coming just weeks before the Battles of Lexington and Concord ignited the war.

Governor of Virginia

After the Declaration of Independence, he served as the first governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1776 to 1779, providing critical support to George Washington and the Continental Army. He was elected governor again from 1784 to 1786, during which time he championed measures for public education and granted authority to the Virginia General Assembly for the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, though he declined to run for a third consecutive term, being succeeded by Edmund Randolph.

Later life and death

In his later years, he declined appointments as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Secretary of State under Washington, and Chief Justice of the United States. He initially led Anti-Federalist opposition to the new United States Constitution at the Virginia Ratifying Convention of 1788, fearing centralized power, but later reconciled with the new government after the promise of a Bill of Rights. He returned to his law practice and was elected to the Virginia General Assembly again in 1799, but died of stomach cancer at his Red Hill plantation near Brookneal before taking his seat.

Legacy and historical view

He is memorialized as one of the great orators of the American Revolution and a champion of individual rights and republican principles. Numerous counties, ships, and schools bear his name, including Patrick Henry College. His home, Scotchtown, is a historic museum. While sometimes criticized by contemporaries like Thomas Jefferson for his populist style, his pivotal role in radicalizing colonial resistance and his insistence on constitutional protections for liberty have cemented his place in American history. His eloquent defenses of freedom continue to be cited in debates over federalism and civil liberties.

Category:1736 births Category:1799 deaths Category:American revolutionaries Category:Governors of Virginia Category:Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Category:Anti-Federalists