Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry 1736-99, political leader in the American Revolution, b. Hanover co., Va. Largely self-educated, he became a prominent trial lawyer. Henry bitterly denounced (1765) the Stamp Act and in the years that followed helped fan the fires of revolt in the South. As an orator he knew no equal. Several phrases attributed to him—e.g., "If this be treason, make the most of it" and "Give me liberty or give me death" —are familiar to all Americans. Henry became a leader among the so-called radicals and spoke clearly for individual liberties. He was a delegate to the house of burgesses (1765-74), the Continental Congress (1774-76), and the Virginia provincial convention (1775). His hopes for a military career in the American Revolution were frustrated, but as governor of Virginia (1776-79) he sent George Rogers Clark to the Illinois country. He was (1784-86) again governor and led the fight for the Virginia Religious Freedom Act of 1785. Although he later became a Federalist, Henry opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution, believing that it endangered state sovereignty, and he worked successfully to have the first 10 amendments (Bill of Rights) added to the Constitution.

Bibliography: See W. W. Henry, Patrick Henry: Life, Correspondence, and Speeches (3 vol., 1891; repr. 1970); biographies by M. C. Tyler (1898, repr. 1972), R. D. Meade (2 vol., 1957-69), R. R. Beeman (1974), and H. Mayer (1986).

Henry, Patrick (1736–1799), lawyer, orator, and Revolutionary leader.Born in Hanover County, Virginia, Patrick Henry began the study of law in 1760. Although weak in legal training, his ability to argue a case with logic and passion brought him a thriving practice. Elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1765, he opposed the Stamp Act with stirring oratory and a set of resolutions that circulated among the colonies and established his reputation as a defender of American rights. Henry served in the First Continental Congress in 1774, delivered his famous “give me liberty or give me death” speech in support of his Virginia Assembly resolution to arm Virginia for defense against the British in 1775, and was a leader in Virginia's May 1776 call for independence.

Elected first governor of the independent state of Virginia in 1776, Henry dominated Virginia politics through 1787. Preoccupied with state business, he declined to serve in the Constitutional Convention of 1787, a decision he may have regretted when he saw its final product. Henry emerged as the foremost Antifederalist opponent of the federal Constitution, and his opposition speeches in the 1778 Virginia Ratifying Convention constituted one of the first fully articulated formulations of states'‐rights ideology. Defeated in the convention, Henry used his influence in the Virginia Assembly over the next few years in seeking to scale back the powers of the central government. In his final years he deserted many of his former Antifederalist colleagues to support Federalists such as John Adams and John Marshall, perhaps less from genuine commitment to their principles than from pique at the prominence of his rivals Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
See also Early Republic, Era of the; Federalist Party; Revolution and Constitution, Era of; Revolutionary War.

Bibliography

Richard R. Beeman , Patrick Henry: A Biography, 1974.
Henry Mayer , A Son of Thunder: Patrick Henry and the American Republic, 1986.

Richard R. Beeman

Henry, Patrick (1736–99) American patriot and statesman. As a member of the Continental Congress, he called the colonists to arms in March 1775 with the demand, “Give me liberty or give me death”. Henry served as governor of Virginia (1776–79, 1784–86). A strong believer in states' rights, he opposed ratification of the US Constitution in 1787.