Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry was a Virginian who advocated colonial rebellion against Great Britain. He had a successful law practice and served in public office as both a legislator and as governor of Virginia . Remembered for the phrase “Give me liberty or give me death,” Henry had a talent for oratory that inspired the birth of a nation.

Early life

Henry was born in Studley, Virginia, in a western county of the colony on May 29, 1736. He was the second son of Colonel John Henry and Sarah Winston. John Henry was from Scotland and had an education from Aberdeen University that served him in educating his own children.

Henry learned to read and write in school. From his father, he learned some Latin and Greek as well as mathematics and history. Growing up in rural Virginia, inland from the coastal tidewater region, Henry spent much of his time hunting.

Henry's family could not afford to send him to college. Many middle-class children in Virginia were expected to learn a practical trade instead. When Henry was fifteen, he began a yearlong apprenticeship as a clerk in a country store. In 1752, John Henry bought goods so Patrick and his older brother William could open their own store, but the business failed.

Marriage and law

Patrick Henry married sixteen-year-old Sarah Shelton in 1754. Together they would have six children. Sarah's father gave the Henrys a 300-acre farm and six slaves. Henry tried tobacco farming for a couple years until a fire destroyed their house. After that Henry opened another shop and, when that failed, worked as a bartender in his father-in-law's tavern in Hanover County.

In 1760, Henry decided to study law to improve his earning power. Within a year, he passed oral examinations in Williamsburg, the provincial capital, and received a license to practice law.

Henry handled a case in 1763 that helped make his career as a lawyer and politician. The Privy Council in Great Britain, which reviewed colonial laws, had struck down a Virginia law regarding the salaries of Anglican ministers. In a case involving the application of that law, Henry argued that by striking down a duly passed law of the colony, the crown in England had violated the rights of the colonists to govern themselves concerning local matters. Great Britain's refusal to approve local laws later became the first in the list of complaints against King George III (1738–1820) in the Declaration of Independence .

Politics

Henry became a legislator in the House of Burgesses , the colonial legislature in Virginia, in 1765. Great Britain had recently passed the Stamp Act for the colonies. The Stamp Act imposed business taxes that were normally regulated by local laws and was very unpopular among colonial merchants.

In late May, just weeks after entering the House of Burgesses, Henry introduced a series of resolutions against the Stamp Act. The resolutions condemned taxation without representation. Henry said that people have a natural right to govern themselves and a right to disobey laws imposed on them without their consent. Four of the seven resolves passed, and Henry became known throughout the colonies an a spokesman for American freedom.

As the American colonies began to organize against Great Britain, Henry served on the First and Second Continental Congresses in 1774 and 1775. (See Continental Congress, First and Continental Congress, Second .) Most of his public service, however, was at the state level in Virginia. When Virginia wrote a constitution in 1776, Henry became the first governor of the state, a position he held until 1779 and again from 1784 to 1786.

In 1787, the American states sent delegates to a federal convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . Its task was to rewrite the Articles of Confederation , but instead it wrote a whole new document, the Constitution of the United States of America. Henry declined to serve at the convention because he disapproved of the plan to form a strong

Patrick Henry's Stamp Act Resolves

Resolves of the House of Burgesses in Virginia, June 1765.

That the first Adventurers & Settlers of this his Majesty's Colony and Dominion of Virginia, brought with them, and transmitted to their Posterity, and all other his Majesty's Subjects since inhabiting in this his Majesty's Colony, all the Liberties, Privileges, Franchises, and Immunities, that at any Time have been held, enjoyed, and possessed, by the People of Great Britain.

That by Two Royal Charters, granted by King James the First, the Colonies aforesaid are Declared Entitled, to all Liberties, Privileges and Immunities, of Denizens and Natural Subjects (to all Intents and Purposes) as if they had been Abiding and Born within the Realm of England.

That the Taxation of the People by Themselves, or by Persons Chosen by Themselves to Represent them, who can only know what Taxes the People are able to bear, or the easiest Method of Raising them, and must themselves be affected by every Tax laid upon the People, is the only Security against a Burthensome Taxation; and the Distinguishing Characteristic of British freedom; and, without which, the ancient Constitution cannot exist.

That his Majesty's Liege People of this his most Ancient and Loyal Colony, have, without Interruption, the inestimable Right of being Governed by such Laws, respecting their internal Polity and Taxation, as are derived from their own Consent, with the Approbation of their Sovereign, or his Substitute; which Right hath never been Forfeited, or Yielded up; but hath been constantly recognized by the Kings and People of Great Britain.

Resolved therefore, That the General Assembly of this Colony, with the Consent of his Majesty, or his Substitute, Have the Sole Right and Authority to lay Taxes and Impositions upon It's [sic] Inhabitants: And, That every Attempt to vest such Authority in any other Person or Persons whatsoever, has a Manifest Tendency to Destroy American Freedom.

That his Majesty's Liege People, Inhabitants of this Colony, are not bound to yield Obedience to any Law or Ordinance whatsoever, designed to impose any Taxation upon them, other than the Laws or Ordinances of the General Assembly as aforesaid.

That any Person who shall, by Speaking, or Writing, assert or maintain, That any Person or Persons, other than the General Assembly of this Colony, with such Consent as aforesaid, have any Right or Authority to lay or impose any Tax whatever on the Inhabitants thereof, shall be Deemed, an Enemy to this his Majesty's Colony.

federal government. He did serve, however, in the Virginia convention that had to decide whether to approve the Constitution. Henry was a leading spokesman against approval because he thought the federal government would be too strong and that the Constitution did not contain enough protection for individual liberty. Henry worked to make James Madison (1751–1836), who became known as the Father of the Constitution, and others agree to add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution in exchange for approval.

Later years

Public service had been financially costly to Henry, so he resumed his law practice in 1788. By his death, he had amassed a small fortune in land holdings. He was elected to a sixth term as governor of Virginia in 1796, but he declined to serve. In 1799, former president George Washington (1732–1799; served 1789–97) convinced Henry to serve again in the state legislature. This time Henry agreed, but he died on June 6, 1799, before his term began.