SUBJECT: PATRIOT WEEK FOUNDERS & PATRIOTS:
DAY ONE (ALL AGES)
Patrick Henry
Overview of Patrick Henry
Born on May 29, 1736, in Hanover County, Virginia, Patrick Henry was a storekeeper, turned
lawyer. He quickly established himself as one of the best trial lawyers in Virginia, taking
hopeless cases and transforming them into victories with riveting speeches and unassailable
logic.
He was so popular that he was elected as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses by a
district in which he did not reside.
All but a brand new member, in the Burgesses he attacked special interest legislation to create a
“public loan office.” This office was a thinly veiled attempt by the speaker of the Burgesses to
relieve himself of huge debts he had incurred by corruptly lending out public money. By killing
the proposal, Henry instantly became hugely popular.
At about the time he took he office, the British passed the Stamp Act, which constituted taxation
without representation. Most expected Virginia to take a “wait and see” attitude. Unexpectedly,
Henry took the mantle of leadership and was able to compel the Burgesses to enact a set of
Resolves in 1765 that strongly condemned the Stamp Act and asserted the rights of the colonists.
The was the first official act of resistance to the British, and it sparked opposition throughout the
colonies. In light of the vigorous opposition, the British mostly backed down.
However, as the British ramped back up colonial oppression in the 1770s, Henry again was at the
forefront of Virginia’s resistance. He was elected to the First and Second Continental Congress
and played an indispensable role in the revolutionary Virginia legislature.
On March 23, 1775, Henry solidified the cause of independence before the House of Burgesses.
He exclaimed:
If we wish to be free – if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable
privileges for which we have been so long contending – if we mean not basely to
abandon the noble struggle in which we have so long engaged... we must fight! It
is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter, Gentlemen may cry, Peace, peace – but
there is no peace... Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?
What is it that gentlemen wish? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be
purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not
what course others may take; but for me, give me liberty, or give me death!
This electrifying speech was a crucial pivot point toward American independence. Thomas
Jefferson gave Henry credit for setting “the ball of the revolution” in motion.
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SUBJECT: PATRIOT WEEK FOUNDERS & PATRIOTS:
DAY ONE (ALL AGES)
During and after the Revolution, Henry served in various Virginian offices, including as a
delegate to constitutional conventions, a representative in the legislature, and Governor (term
limits required him to step down). He declined to serve in Congress.
Unlike most other Founding Fathers, he refused to attend the federal Constitutional Convention.
In fact, he was the most able opponent of its adoption. He argued that it ceded too much power
to the federal government and would lead to a consolidated government that would swallow up
the states. He also argued the omission of a Bill of Rights in the original Constitution would
allow the federal government to oppress the people. “The tyranny of Philadelphia may be like the
tyranny of George the III.” Henry announced. His strong speeches during the Virginia
Ratification Convention almost doomed the Constitution, but the influence of James Madison
and George Washington ensured its ratification.
Although the Constitution was ratified over his objections, his opposition to the original
Constitution - along with many others - led to the quick ratification of the Bill of Rights that
specifically addressed many of his concerns.
He also declined President George Washington’s request to serve as Secretary of State or Chief
Justice, and President John Adams’s request to serve as minister plenipotentiary to the French
Republic.
He passed way on June 6, 1799.
Objectives
1.
Students should understand the general biography of Patrick Henry.
2.
Students should understand that Henry directly challenged the ruling class when he opposed
the public loan office, the Stamp Act, and declared “give me liberty or give me death!”
3.
Students should understand that as stated in the Declaration of Independence, America
embraces the First Principle that when governments become destructive of unalienable
rights, equality, and the Social Compact, that the people have the right to alter or abolish it.
4.
Students should understand the enormous contribution Henry made in connection with
American independence.
5.
Students should understand why Henry opposed the ratification of the Constitution, and how
the opposition led to an improved document.
Materials
• More about Henry and related materials can be found at:
• www.PatriotWeek.org
• http://www.history.org/almanack/people/bios/biohen.cfm
• http://www.redhill.org/
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SUBJECT: PATRIOT WEEK FOUNDERS & PATRIOTS:
DAY ONE (ALL AGES)
Activities
1.
Have students create a timeline or collage of Henry’s life.
2.
Have students write an essay or composition about what they consider to be Henry’s most
important contribution to American history, and explain why (as compared to the others).
3.
Consider that Henry courageously attacked those in power when he attacked the public
loan office, the Stamp Act, and declared “give me liberty or give me death!” Have students
write an essay about what risks he took and why he chose to overcome them.
4.
Have students read the full text of the “give me liberty or give me death!” speech and write
an essay about whether there is something they would risk their lives for and why?
Contributor
Hon. Michael Warren
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