The famous words he spoke were "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" which motivated the colonists to make up their minds about how they felt about the War of Independence. Henry strongly felt that the colonists should fight for their freedom if the king would not give them their rights. During the war he acted as governor of Virginia. Even though Patrick Henry supported liberty for the colonies, he disagreed with the Constitution. He thought that it gave the federal government too much power.
The Constitution was passed, but Henry's and others' concerns led to the Bill of Rights being passed, which protected individual rights. Patrick Henry contributed to the American Revolution through his moving speeches and his belief in freedom. Essays on Heroism. Watch our short introduction video for more information. He proved himself to be an early voice of dissent against Britain's colonial policies.
During the debate over the Stamp Act of , which effectively taxed every type of printed paper used by the colonists, Henry spoke out against the measure. He insisted that only the colony itself should be able to levy taxes on its citizens. Some in the assembly cried out that his comments were treason, but Henry was unfazed. His suggestions for handling the matter were printed and distributed to other colonies, helping to spur on the growing discontent with British rule. An active force in the growing rebellion against Britain, Henry had the remarkable ability to translate his political ideology into the language of the common man.
He was selected to serve as a delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in There, he met Samuel Adams and, together, they stoked the fires for revolution. During the proceedings, Henry called for the colonists to unite in their opposition to British rule: "The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers and New Englanders, are no more.
I am not a Virginian, but an American. The following year, Henry gave perhaps the most famous speech of his career. He was one of the attendees of the Virginia Convention in March The group was debating how to resolve the crisis with Great Britain—through force or through peaceful ends. Henry sounded the call to arms, saying, "Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? 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 as for me, give me liberty, or give me death! Only a short time later, the first shots were fired, and the American Revolution was underway. Henry became the commander in chief of Virginia's forces, but he resigned his post after six months. Henry won the case and became a hero to Virginia, gaining new clients that year.
After his defense of Virginia, Henry became a backwoods Virginia hero. In he won a seat on the Virginia House of Burgesses. The moment Henry was elected, he was forced to travel to Williamsburg, as the Burgesses were already in session. When he arrived, the Burgesses were debating the Stamp Act , instructing their contacts in London to oppose the bill. When the Act passed, the burgeoning politician introduced the Stamp Act Resolves.
During this session, Henry also gave an impassioned speech arguing against the Stamp Act. During the speech, the not so tactful orator carefully referenced how tyrants were murdered, never actually mentioning King George; however, the room read his tone, and many decried his statement as treason. When he was not attending the House of Burgesses, Henry greatly expanded his wealth and stature through land speculation and his law practice. During this time, he amassed enough wealth to buy land and slaves.
Henry argued against slavery throughout his life, but from his purchase of land to his death, he continued to purchase and sell slaves. Henry and Jefferson are parallels in that they advocated for ending the trans-Atlantic slave trade, believing it would eventually end slavery, while at the same time engaging in the practices that made American slavery expand across the south, even after the end of the trans-Atlantic trade.
Utilizing committees of correspondence, the rising Virginian contacted John and Samuel Adams , and together they decided to push their respective colonies to independence. Many future patriots were in the audience, including Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
The address helped drive prominent Virginians to prepare for war. No one in the audience recorded the speech, and later historians pieced the speech together, it is unclear if Henry actually concluded with the famous quote or if that was invented years later to sell books.
The first 10 Amendments to the United States Constitution, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, protected individual liberties and placed limits on the powers of the federal government. Besides a brief stint as a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress —the United States government during the American Revolution—Patrick Henry never held national public office. He died on June 6, at the age of 63 from stomach cancer. Patrick Henry, Orator of Liberty; U. Library of Congress.
But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. As a political activist and state legislator, he spoke out against British efforts to tax the colonists, and pressured merchants to boycott British products. He also Skirmishes between British troops and colonial Revolution was in the air in early American Revolution leader John Hancock was a signer of the Declaration of Independence in and a governor of Massachusetts.
The colonial Massachusetts native was raised by his uncle, a wealthy Boston merchant. When his uncle died, Hancock inherited his lucrative
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