Patrick Henry:
A Life of Liberty
Biography |
Patrick Henry was born on May 29, 1736. From day one, he was a man of his word. Being self-taught and an avid reader and speaker, Henry was admitted to the Virginia bar and became an attorney. He became well known for his abilities as a spokesman and as a lawyer. After winning a case for the Virginia legislature against British parsons, Henry was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1765. Just as Henry joined the legislature, the Stamp Act of 1765 was passed. Colonists were enraged, and Henry was angry too. In one of his speeches, he compared King George III to Julius Caesar and Charles I. When called treasonous, Henry said, "If this is treason, make the most of it." Patrick Henry was also chosen as a representative for Virginia at the First Continental Congress. There, he was a proponent of mobilization of troops and the Revolution. In 1775, he uttered the words that would be echoed across the country in the American Revolution at the Virginia Convention, "Give me liberty, or give me death." Patrick Henry would become Virginia's governor from 1776-1779 during the war and from 1784-1786 after the war. He would decline may requests from George Washington to be secretary of state and chief justice. Henry died on June 6, 1799, after he was reelected to the Virginia state legislature.
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