Patrick Henry famously declared, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” in March 1775. He declared that the British had already begun to war with the American people. Henry had become famous as a lawyer and orator, defending the people’s rights. He was the first governor of the independent state of Virginia. Henry later opposed the Constitution as a threat to liberty, but once it was ratified, accepted it as the people’s choice.
Patrick Henry’s Early Years
Patrick Henry was born May 29, 1736, in Virginia. His father was a Scottish immigrant, and his mother was the daughter of a prominent family.
Henry’s father was his tutor. Patrick was inspired by the oratory of the Great Awakening, an evangelical religious movement with a mass following. The preachers spoke passionately and directly to the people, often using emotion more than logic. Masses of people felt the message of God in their hearts. His mother brought young Patrick along to hear these preachers.
Patrick Henry married Sarah Shelton in 1754. Her father gave the young couple 300 acres of land and six slaves. They had six children together. Sarah suffered from bouts of mental illness. She died in the spring of 1775. He would remarry a couple of years later.
Henry struggled at farming, ran a tavern (befriending Thomas Jefferson), and studied law. He became a lawyer in 1760. It was a lot easier then, only requiring a few months of study.
Lawyer and Patriot
Henry gained fame during the “Parson’s Case,” a tax case, arguing a British tax law was unjust, a violation of natural rights. He lost the case, but his clients only had to pay token damages.
His talent at public speaking did not only help him with judges and juries. Henry became successful in politics. He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he opposed the Stamp Act. He passionately argued that colonial legislatures had the power to tax.
If King George III did not recognize that, he might suffer the same fate as Julius Caesar, who was assassinated. People accused him of disloyalty. “If this be treason, make the most of it.”
Henry became successful and wealthy. He bought land and slaves. Henry spoke against slavery as a great evil while owning many slaves. He later opposed the ratification of the Constitution, partially fearing it would threaten slavery. He opposed the transatlantic slave trade.
Patriot
Henry was chosen as a representative to the First Continental Congress, a meeting of delegates from twelve (Georgia didn’t take part) colonies to address growing colonial discontent.
He helped to organize boycotts of British goods. He took part in committees of correspondence (letter writing) to organize resistance throughout the colonies.
The royal governor dissolved the Virginia legislature after it showed solidarity with Boston, whose port was shut down after the Boston Tea Party. The legislature met anyway in “conventions” beginning in August 1774. The second Virginia convention took place March 1775.
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!
The Second Convention met in Richmond at St. John’s Episcopal Church.
The location was chosen since it was large enough to hold the over one hundred delegates. Many famous patriots were there, including Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Richard Henry Lee (who would formally offer the motion for independence a year later).
Patrick Henry gave his famous speech on March 23. It was not written down until much later. Henry’s biographer, helped by the memories of Jefferson and others, reconstructed the speech in 1817. Some do not even think Henry said the line he is most famous for.
Henry’s passion and criticism of King George III are not in doubt. A British loyalist wrote at the time that he labeled the king a “fool, a puppet, and a tool to the ministry”
The speech was in support of the formation of a militia, an armed body of citizens, to secure the state’s rights. Henry believed war was coming and the colonialists needed to be prepared.
Many delegates were wary about supporting such a combative approach. Henry passionately disagreed. The British had already begun to threaten their liberties.
The British were preparing their armies and seizing arms from the colonialists. A war against the colonialists had already begun.
He began calmly, working himself into a passionate crescendo. Henry denounced those crying for peace. “Give me liberty, or give me death!” He symbolically motioned to his chest with a paper cutter as if he were stabbing himself in the chest. Very dramatic.
The delegates were enthralled. They voted in support of his motion. Henry would turn out to be a good prophet. The battles of Lexington and Concord occurred a few weeks later.
Afterwards
Henry would continue to serve in the legislature until 1776.
The day after the Declaration of Independence was ratified, he began one of multiple terms as governor. The first governor of the newly declared independent state of Virginia would return to office in the 1780s. Henry did not play a major role in the military aspect of the war.
Patrick Henry supported legislation to fund Christian teachers. He believed that religion was an important part of education. James Madison and Thomas Jefferson strongly opposed it as a violation of the separation of church and state. The legislation ultimately did not pass.
Henry opposed the ratification of the Constitution as a threat to state rights. He refused to serve in the Constitutional Convention. Nonetheless, once Virginia ratified the Constitution, Henry accepted the will of the people. He helped block Madison from being elected a senator.
Patrick Henry went back to practicing law. He became a Federalist. Henry opposed the Virginian and Kentucky Resolutions, believing states did not have such power to challenge federal laws. The people had ratified the Constitution. It was in their power to change it.
Henry died in 1799, after winning a seat in the Virginia legislature one last time.