Early life
Patrick Henry was born on May 29, 1736, in Studley, Virginia. His mother was from England. His father, who worked as a surveyor and county judge, was from Scotland. Young Henry had little formal teaching, and at the age of 15 he entered business. He failed as a farmer and as a storekeeper and turned his attention to the law. After he became a lawyer, he succeeded quickly in the courtroom.
Speaker for the Revolution
In 1763 Henry represented colonists in the Virginia House of Burgesses just as the Stamp Act was passed in 1765. The older members of the House were not sure what to do against the Stamp Act. Henry introduced resolutions that said that the British Parliament had no right to tax the American colonies. In the debate that followed, Patrick Henry exclaimed made a fiery speech that made sure the House accepted the resolutions.
In 1774 Henry was sent by Virginia as a delegate to the first Continental Congress. At the second Virginia Convention the next year, he urged the colony to arm its militia. It was in this speech that he uttered the famous words that inspired some to start the revolution:
Gentlemen may cry peace! peace! but there is no peace! The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the North will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field. Is life so dear, or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.
Henry also helped draw up Virginia's state constitution in 1776 and was elected the first governor of the state. He was reelected twice.
In the Virginia convention of 1788, Henry was against the new Constitution of the United States. He objected to it because it did not have a “bill of rights” and because it limited the rights of the states. He wanted the country to remain a confederation. Henry's advice to reject the Constitution was not followed, but it was the result of such opposition that the first ten amendments to the Constitution, popularly known as the Bill of Rights, were adopted.
Later life
Henry retired to Red Hill, his plantation near Brookneal, Virginia. In 1799 he agreed to serve again in the Virginia legislative assembly, but on June 6, before he could take his seat, he died of cancer at Red Hill.
Bibliography
"Henry, Patrick." Compton's by Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 20 Oct. 2009 <http://school.eb.com/all/comptons/article-9274847>.
Patrick Henry was born on May 29, 1736, in Studley, Virginia. His mother was from England. His father, who worked as a surveyor and county judge, was from Scotland. Young Henry had little formal teaching, and at the age of 15 he entered business. He failed as a farmer and as a storekeeper and turned his attention to the law. After he became a lawyer, he succeeded quickly in the courtroom.
Speaker for the Revolution
In 1763 Henry represented colonists in the Virginia House of Burgesses just as the Stamp Act was passed in 1765. The older members of the House were not sure what to do against the Stamp Act. Henry introduced resolutions that said that the British Parliament had no right to tax the American colonies. In the debate that followed, Patrick Henry exclaimed made a fiery speech that made sure the House accepted the resolutions.
In 1774 Henry was sent by Virginia as a delegate to the first Continental Congress. At the second Virginia Convention the next year, he urged the colony to arm its militia. It was in this speech that he uttered the famous words that inspired some to start the revolution:
Gentlemen may cry peace! peace! but there is no peace! The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the North will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field. Is life so dear, or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.
Henry also helped draw up Virginia's state constitution in 1776 and was elected the first governor of the state. He was reelected twice.
In the Virginia convention of 1788, Henry was against the new Constitution of the United States. He objected to it because it did not have a “bill of rights” and because it limited the rights of the states. He wanted the country to remain a confederation. Henry's advice to reject the Constitution was not followed, but it was the result of such opposition that the first ten amendments to the Constitution, popularly known as the Bill of Rights, were adopted.
Later life
Henry retired to Red Hill, his plantation near Brookneal, Virginia. In 1799 he agreed to serve again in the Virginia legislative assembly, but on June 6, before he could take his seat, he died of cancer at Red Hill.
Bibliography
"Henry, Patrick." Compton's by Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 20 Oct. 2009 <http://school.eb.com/all/comptons/article-9274847>.