Patrick Henry was an attorney, orator and a major figure of the American Revolution who is best known for his words "Give me liberty or give me death!" Who Was Patrick Henry? Patrick Henry was an American Revolution-era orator best known for his quote "Give me liberty or give me death!"
Full Answer
Who was Patrick Henry?
Patrick Henry was born in 1736 on his family’s farm in Hanover County, Virginia. He was educated mostly at home by his father, a Scottish-born planter who had attended college in Scotland. Henry struggled to find a profession as a young adult. He failed in several attempts as a store owner and a planter.
Was Patrick Henry originally a bar-keeper?
Jefferson in 1824 told Daniel Webster, "Patrick Henry was originally a bar-keeper", a characterization that Henry's biographers have found to be unfair; that his position was more general than that, and that the main business of Hanover Tavern was serving travelers, not alcohol.
How did Henry become a lawyer in 1760?
On the advice of a local lawyer, Henry in 1760 applied for a lawyer's license, appearing before the examiners—prominent attorneys in the colonial capital of Williamsburg. The examiners were impressed by Henry's mind even though his knowledge of legal procedures was scant.
What public office did Patrick Henry hold?
Besides a brief stint as a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress —the United States government during the American Revolution—Patrick Henry never held national public office. He died on June 6, 1799 at the age of 63 from stomach cancer.
What was Henry the Great's role in the American Revolution?
Henry was an influential leader in the radical opposition to the British government but only accepted the new federal government after the passage of the Bill of Rights, for which he was in great measure responsible. With his persuasive and passionate speeches, Henry helped kickstart the American Revolution.
What was Henry's reputation as a lawyer?
As a lawyer, Henry developed a reputation as a powerful and persuasive speaker with the 1763 case known as "Parson's Cause.". The Virginia Colony passed a law changing the way church ministers were paid, resulting in a monetary loss for the ministers.
What instrument did Henry the Great play?
He was a musical child, playing both the fiddle and the flute. He may have modeled his great oratory style on the religious sermons by his uncle and others.
When did Patrick Henry die?
He won the post, but he didn't live long enough to serve. He died on June 6, 1799, at his Red Hill home. While he never held national office, Patrick Henry is remembered as one of the great revolutionary leaders. He has been called the "Trumpet" and "Voice" of the American Revolution.
Who was Richard Henry Lee?
Richard Henry Lee. Richard Henry Lee was an American statesman from Virginia who made the motion, known as the Lee Resolution, for independence from Great Britain. (1732–1794) Person.
Who feared Henry would be successful in his anti-Constitution efforts?
Considering the strong support for Henry in Virginia, many Federalists, including James Madison, feared that Henry would be successful in his anti-Constitution efforts. But the majority of lawmakers were not swayed to Henry's side, and the document was ratified in an 89-to-79 vote.
Who was the commander in chief of the Virginia army?
Only a short time later, the first shots were fired, and the American Revolution was underway. Henry became the commander in chief of Virginia's forces, but he resigned his post after six months. Focusing on statesmanship, he helped write the state's constitution in 1776.
Who was Patrick Henry?
Signature. Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 – June 6, 1799) was an American attorney, planter, politician, and orator best known for his declaration to the Second Virginia Convention (1775): " Give me liberty, or give me death! " A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia, ...
Who was Patrick Henry's father?
Patrick Henry's father, Colonel John Henry, was the presiding judge. Patrick Henry Arguing the Parson's Cause by George Cooke. After the evidence was presented proving the facts at issue, Maury's counsel gave a speech in praise of the clergy, many of whom were in attendance.
Why is Patrick Henry important?
Because Henry was educated at home, by his father, he has become a symbol of the homeschooling movement. In 2000, Patrick Henry College was founded in Purcellville, Virginia, in large part for those who had been homeschooled.
When was Patrick Henry Field opened?
Decommissioned in 1946, it became the site of the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport on 925 acres (3.74 km 2 ). When opened in 1949, the airport was called Patrick Henry Field, and was later renamed Patrick Henry International Airport, a name it retained until 1990. The airport code is still PHF.
Where was John Henry born?
Henry was born on the family farm, Studley, in Hanover County in the Colony of Virginia, on May 29, 1736. His father was John Henry, an immigrant from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, who had attended King's College, University of Aberdeen, there before emigrating to Virginia in the 1720s. Settling in Hanover County in about 1732, John Henry married Sarah Winston Syme, a wealthy widow from a prominent local family of English ancestry.
Who was the governor of Virginia in 1776?
Henry urged independence, and when the Fifth Virginia Convention endorsed this in 1776, served on the committee charged with drafting the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the original Virginia Constitution. Henry was promptly elected governor under the new charter, and served a total of five one-year terms.
Was Patrick Henry a bar keeper?
Jefferson in 1824 told Daniel Webster, "Patrick Henry was originally a bar-keeper", a characterization that Henry's biographers have found to be unfair; that his position was more general than that, and that the main business of Hanover Tavern was serving travelers, not alcohol.
Henry was a skilled lawyer
Born in colonial Virginia of an English mother and Scottish father, Henry failed as a farmer and storekeeper but found his calling in the law. In court he displayed quick wit, knowledge of human nature, and forensic gifts.
Henry was a delegate to the First Continental Congress
Henry was a Virginia delegate to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1774. At the Virginia Convention in 1775, he sponsored measures for armed resistance to the British by the Virginia militia.
Henry advocated for state support for religious teachers
After helping to draw up Virginia’s state constitution, in 1776, Henry served three one-year terms as governor. His influence with the legislature was sporadic because of his habit of leaving before the end of the session.
Henry returned to law practice
Public service had left Henry badly in debt. He returned for a while to his law practice and became a successful criminal attorney. As a state legislator (1783–1784), he was in favor of strengthening the Articles of Confederation and allowing state taxes for support of churches.
Henry opposed the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
Near the end of his career, Henry opposed the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, which Jefferson and Madison had secretly written in opposition to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798; he denied that a state had the right to decide the constitutionality of federal laws.
What did Patrick Henry think about the Constitution?
Patrick Henry worried that a federal government that was too powerful and too centralized could evolve into a monarchy.
What was the purpose of the Stamp Act?
Colonists viewed the Stamp Act—an attempt by England to raise money in the colonies without approval from colonial legislatures —as a troublesome precedent. Patrick Henry responded to the Stamp Act with a series of resolutions introduced to the Virginia legislature in a speech.
Why did Great Britain pass the Stamp Act?
Stamp Act. In 1765, Great Britain passed the first of a series of taxes to help pay for the growing costs of defending the American colonies. The Stamp Act of 1765 required American colonists to pay a small tax on every piece of paper they used.
What was the role of the Anti-Federalists in the Bill of Rights?
While the Anti-Federalists were unable to stop the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the Anti-Federalist Papers were influential in helping to shape the Bill of Rights.
What was the speech that Patrick Henry gave to the British?
It was here that Patrick Henry delivered his most famous speech, ending with the quote, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”.
What caused the tobacco price to increase in the late 1750s?
A tobacco shortage caused by drought led to price increases in the late 1750s. In response, the Virginia legislature passed the Two-Penny Act, which set the value of the Anglican ministers’ annual salaries at two pennies per pound of tobacco, rather than the inflated price that was closer to six pennies per pound.
When did Patrick Henry give his speech?
Give me liberty, or give me death! Patrick Henry delivering his great speech on the Rights of the Colonies, before the Virginia Assembly, convened at Richmond, March 23, 1775. In March of 1775, the Second Virginia Convention met at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, to discuss the state’s strategy against the British.
What was Patrick Henry's political career?
Patrick Henry’s political career began in December 1763 with his rousing victory in the Parsons’ Cause, a controversy rooted in the peculiarities of colonial Virginia’s tobacco-based economy that also became an important precursor of the American Revolution.
Where was Patrick Henry born?
Early Life and Times. Patrick Henry was born at Studley in Hanover County , Virginia, on May 29, l736. His father John Henry was a Scottish-born planter. His mother Sarah Winston Syme was a young widow from a prominent gentry family.
What was Henry's public career?
His public career was balanced by the needs of a growing family and his law practice. After scarcely a decade’s labor in the county courts, Henry in 1769 was admitted to practice before the General Court, the highest judicial body in the colony.
Who did Henry support?
In the spring of 1799, Henry supported John Marshall, a moderate Federalist who had not voted for the Alien and Sedition Acts, for reelection to Congress. At the same time, in response to a direct request from his old friend George Washington, Henry ran again for a seat in the state legislature.
Did Patrick Henry accept his new officers?
Henry, however, in a little-known moment that many historians regard as one of his finest, refused to let personal disappointment hurt the American cause and persuaded his men to accept their new officers. Patrick Henry’s short-lived military career was at an end but his political career was just beginning.
Early Life
Henry was born on the family farm, Studley, in Hanover County in the Colony of Virginia, on May 29, 1736. His father was John Henry, an immigrant from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, who had attended King's College, University of Aberdeen, before emigrating to Virginia in the 1720s.Settling in Hanover County in about 173…
Revolutionary Lawyer and Politician
- Parson's Cause
While at Hanover Tavern, Henry found time to study the law. How long he did so is unclear; he later said it was as little as a month. On the advice of a local lawyer, Henry in 1760 applied for a lawyer's license, appearing before the examiners—prominent attorneys in the colonial capital of … - Stamp Act
In the wake of the Parson's Cause, Henry began to gain a following in backwoods Virginia because of his oratory defending the liberties of the common people and thanks to his friendly manner. He boosted his standing further in 1764 by representing Nathaniel West Dandridge, elected for Han…
Independence and First Time as Governor
- Henry did not sit in the Fourth Virginia Convention which met in December 1775, as he was ineligible because of his military commission. Once he was again a civilian, the freeholders of Hanover County in April 1776 elected him to the fifth convention, to meet the following month. Most delegates were for independence but were divided on how and when to declare it. Henry in…
Leatherwood and The House of Delegates
- At Leatherwood, Henry devoted himself to local affairs in the thinly-populated county and was given seats on the county court (the local governing body), as prominent landowners were, and on the parish vestry. He refused to be elected a delegate to Congress, stating that his personal business and past illness made that impossible. When Governor Jefferson sent a note to him in …
Second Period as Governor
- Henry's second time as governor was for two years, as the legislature re-elected him in 1785. It was, generally, more placid than his first. During this time, Henry and his family lived at "Salisbury", in Chesterfield County, about 13 miles (21 km) from Richmond in open country that he rented, though he had an official residence close to the Virginia Capitol, which was then under construct…
Opponent of The Constitution
- Disinclined to return to distant Leatherwood after his time as governor ended in November 1786, Henry hoped to purchase land in Hanover County but bought property in Prince Edward County instead. Hampden-Sydney College, which he had helped found in 1775, is located in that county, and Henry enrolled his sons there. The local freeholders elected Henry to the House of Delegate…
Later Years
- Leaving the House of Delegates after 1790, Henry found himself in debt, owing in part to expenses while governor, and sought to secure his family's fortune through land speculation and a return to the practice of law. Not fully reconciled to the federal government, Henry contemplated a new republic in the sparsely-settled frontier lands, but his plans came to nothing. He did not travel as …
Monuments and Memorials
- Several of Henry's homes are recognized for their association with him. Scotchtown Plantation is a National Historic Landmark. The Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial preserves Henry's final home, gravesite, and his law office. The site of his birthplace, which burned in 1807 and is now reduced to archaeological remains, is also preserved; it is listed on the National Register of …
Legacy and Historical View
- As historian Richard Beeman put it, Henry was a man who "did not bother to write much of anything down", a handicap when being evaluated by history. The lack of primary source materials regarding Henry—only a handful of papers and a few of his speeches survive—has frustrated Henry's biographers from Wirt (1817) to Beeman (1974). Two years before publishing his book, …
See Also
His Early Life
Parson’s Cause
Stamp Act
Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death
Wives and Children
United States Bill of Rights and Anti-Federalism
- Overall, Patrick Henry served as governor in Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and the sixth governor from 1784 to 1786. After the Revolutionary War, Henry was an outspoken Anti-Federalist. Henry and others opposed the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, which created a stronger federal government. Generally, Patrick Henry worried that a powerf...
Conclusion
Henry Was A Skilled Lawyer
- Born in colonial Virginia of an English mother and Scottish father, Henry failed as a farmer and storekeeper but found his calling in the law. In court he displayed quick wit, knowledge of human nature, and forensic gifts. In 1763 he defended local tax collectors in a damage suit, arguing natural rights, after the British crown had disallowed a Vir...
Henry Was A Delegate to The First Continental Congress
Henry Advocated For State Support For Religious Teachers
Henry Returned to Law Practice
Henry Opposed The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
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