| Henry, Patrick (1736-1799) Statesman: Henry
received little formal education but, after unsuccessful attempts at
farming and operating a general store, he began studying law informally.
After less than four months of unsupervised study, he was admitted to
the bar in Williamsburg, Virginia. Henry was an active attorney
throughout his political involvement with the revolution, unlike many of
his political colleagues, whose legal practices were only tangential to
their main efforts. Henry's first important case was the Parson's Cause
Controversy, which set him defending the rights of Virginia taxpayers
against the claims of Anglican clergy. He entered the Virginia House of
Burgesses in May 1765, just as Britain was passing the Stamp Act, which
he denounced eloquently.
He served in the First Continental Congress in 1774,
and gave his famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech
in May 1775 in Virginia, although it is difficult to prove the
authenticity of the precise wording of the oration.
Henry's speaking style was a departure from the
tradition of American oratory, which emphasized formal learning and
allusions to classical texts. The new style, represented by Henry,
resembled nothing so much as an evangelical preacher, with biblical
references and, according to his critics, an appeal to passion rather
than reason. This made Henry one of the first popular politicians in the
emerging United States. After the war, Henry was a strong opponent of
the proposed federal Constitution, believing that too much power was
being given to the central government. His critique of the proposed
Constitution at the Virginia Ratifying Convention of 1788 stands as a
clear and thorough statement of the states' rights position.
Henry became the first governor of the free state of
Virginia, serving five terms, and was elected to several terms in the
state legislature. His loyalty to his home state led him to decline
offers to serve in the Continental Congress, the US Senate, as Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, and as Secretary of State under Presidents
Washington and Adams. Henry's fears of national chaos, as well as his
personal dislike of Thomas Jefferson, led him to side with the
Federalists in the Federalist-Republican debate. He was convinced to
come out of retirement and serve in the Virginia Legislature as a
Federalist in 1799, but died before he could do so.
The
War Inevitable by Patrick Henry March 23, 1775
|
