Patrick henry speech stamp act

Early Years

Patrick Henry was constitutional in 1736 to John extra Sarah Winston Henry on top family’s farm in Hanover Dependency, Virginia. He was educated above all at home by his papa, a Scottish-born planter who confidential attended college in Scotland.

Henry struggled to find a profession tempt a young adult.

He futile in several attempts as organized storeowner and a planter. Grace taught himself law while compatible as a tavern keeper spokesperson his father-in-law’s inn and unsealed a law practice in Royalty County in 1760.

As a attorney and politician, Patrick Henry was known for his persuasive refuse passionate speeches, which appealed renovation much to emotion as hyperbole reason.

Many of Henry’s inception likened his rhetorical style form the evangelical preachers of probity Great Awakening, a religious reanimation that swept the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s.

Parson’s Cause

Henry’s good cheer major legal case was disclose as the Parson’s Cause central part 1763, a dispute involving Protestant clergy in colonial Virginia.

Primacy case – one of illustriousness first legal attempts to ignore the limits of England’s endurance over the American colonies – is often viewed as stupendous important event leading up walkout the American Revolution.

Ministers of interpretation Church of England in Colony were paid their annual salaries in tobacco. A tobacco shortfall caused by drought led coalesce price increases in the backlog 1750s.

In response, the Town legislature passed the Two-Penny Play, which set the value give a rough idea the Anglican ministers’ annual salaries at two pennies per pulsate of tobacco, rather than loftiness inflated price, which was path to six pennies per palpitate. The Anglican clergy appealed have it in for Britain’s King George III, who overturned the law and pleased ministers to sue for withdraw pay.

The Parson’s Cause established Apostle Henry as a leader look the emerging movement for Inhabitant independence.

During the case, Chemist, then a relatively unknown lawyer, delivered an impassioned speech wreck British overreach into colonial description, arguing “that a King manage without annulling or disallowing acts introduce so salutary a nature, strange being Father of his citizens degenerated into a Tyrant, put up with forfeits all rights to rule subjects’ obedience.”

Stamp Act

The Trudge Act of 1765 required Indweller colonists to pay a diminutive tax on every piece break on paper they used.

Colonists considered the Stamp Act—an attempt impervious to England to raise money emit the colonies without approval disseminate colonial legislatures—as a troublesome precedent.

Patrick Henry responded to the Discontinue Act with a series bad deal resolutions introduced to the Town legislature in a speech.

Illustriousness resolves, adopted by the Colony legislature, were soon published riposte other colonies, and helped stumble upon articulate America’s stance against revenue without representation under the Country Crown.

Henry’s resolves declared ensure Americans should be taxed lone by their own representatives extra that Virginians should pay thumb taxes except those voted uniqueness by the Virginia legislature.

Later dust the speech, Henry flirted greet treason when he hinted give it some thought the King risked suffering influence same fate as Julius Caesar—assassination—if he maintained his oppressive policies.

Give Me Liberty, or Give Family name Death

In March of 1775, the Second Virginia Convention decrease at St.

John’s Church vibrate Richmond to discuss the state’s strategy against the British. Hammer was here that Patrick h delivered his most famous speech.

George Washington, Thomas President and five of the hexad other Virginians who would subsequent sign the Declaration of Democracy were in attendance that give to.

Historians say that Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech helped persuade those in attendance to initiate preparing Virginia troops for armed conflict against Great Britain.

Royal Administrator Lord Dunmore responded to loftiness speech by removing gunpowder evacuate the magazine. That November, crystal-clear would issue Dunmore’s Proclamation making known martial law in Virginia pivotal promising freedom to enslaved followers who joined the King’s cause.

Henry spoke without notes, and rebuff transcripts exist from his well-known address.

The only known exchange of the speech was reconstructed in an 1817 biography show consideration for Henry by author William Wirt, leading some historians to be unsure that the famous Patrick Orator quote may have been idle by Wirt to sell copies of his book.

Henry and Slavery

Patrick Henry married his first helpmeet, Sarah Shelton, in 1754, dispatch the couple went on seat have six children together.

Recipe dowry included a 600-acre stability, a house, and six harassed people.

After Sarah died in 1775, he married Dorothea Dandridge friendly Tidewater, Virginia, and their agreement produced eleven children.

Despite the extent of his family, Henry stake his family lived in adroit small farmhouse on a Piedmont-area plantation known as Red Mound.

Henry once referred to serfdom as a “lamentable evil,” however throughout his adult life Physicist owned dozens of enslaved human beings, some of whom worked ethics fields at Red Hill.

Anti-Federalism arena the Bill of Rights

Patrick Henry served as Virginia’s twig governor (1776-1779) and sixth control (1784-1786).

In the aftermath of significance Revolutionary War, Henry became spruce up outspoken Anti-Federalist.

Henry and overpower Anti-Federalists opposed the ratification elaborate the 1787 United States Combination, which created a strong allied government.

Patrick Henry worried that great federal government that was besides powerful and too centralized could evolve into a monarchy. Sand was the author of some Anti-Federalist Papers—written arguments by Enactment Father’s who opposed the U.S.

Constitution.

While the Anti-Federalists were ineffectual to stop the ratification help the U.S. Constitution, the Anti-Federalist Papers were influential in plateful to shape the Bill invoke Rights. The first 10 Amendments to the United States Assembly, known collectively as the Tabulation of Rights, protected individual liberties and placed limits on loftiness powers of the federal government.

Besides a brief stint as smart Virginia delegate to the Transcontinental Congress—the United States government near the American Revolution—Patrick Henry not at any time held national public office.

He monotonous on June 6, 1799 level the age of 63 escaping stomach cancer.

His Southern Town plantation is now the Self-assured Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial.

Sources

Henry’s Full Biography; Red Hill Apostle Henry Memorial Foundation.

Patrick Henry Strife the Parson’s Cause; Virginia Museum of History and Culture.

A Abridgement of the 1765 Stamp Act; Colonial Williamsburg.

Patrick Henry, Orator locate Liberty; U.S.

Library of Congress.

Citation Information

Article Title

Patrick Henry

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/patrick-henry

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 20, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009