Patrick Henry was a highly respected orator, who was the governor of Virginia for five terms, and who wrote the Bill of Rights to correct some parts of the Constitution which he was not in agreement with.
Most American people today can attribute the phrase, "Give me liberty, or give me death," to the great statesman Patrick Henry. Many of those same people, though, don't have a clue as to who Patrick Henry was, or why those particular words were spoken by him. They are not aware that Patrick Henry was one of the greatest orators our country has ever heard, and that he was extremely important in the early history of America.
Patrick Henry was born in Virginia in 1736, and his well-educated father took it upon himself to school his son. At 24, Patrick decided to study law, feeling after an unsuccessful stint as an entrepreneur. His business was a failure, and unfortunately it had left him heavily in debt. After becoming an attorney, and it was immediately apparent that young Patrick Henry had special gifts as an orator, and arguing his legal cases became a novel way to showcase this talent. A most noted case, the Parson's Cause, brought him particular notoriety, with many people showing up at his trials to just listen to him speak, regardless of their involvement in the particular issue.
Based on his popularity, four years later Patrick Henry was elected to the House of Burgesses in Virginia. He found that in this leadership role, his oratory skills were one of his biggest assets, people listened attentively to whatever Patrick Henry said. His speech discussing the reasons for his disapproval of the Stamp Act is often thought of as one of his best.
Henry quickly rose up the political ladder, first becoming a member of the First Continental Congress, and then for a short time was with the Second Continental Congress. All the while, he was establishing himself as a valuable statesman, and it was during that time that Patrick Henry stood in front of the Virginia Provincial Convention and urged them to allow the colony to bear arms to defend themselves against England. His "Give me liberty, or give me death," words in 1775 only served to emphasize his respect and loyalty to those who fought for freedom, and are perhaps the best known words orated by the great statesman.
In 1776, Henry was asked to spearhead the writing of the constitution for the commonwealth of Virginia. His attention to this project was rewarded handsomely: Patrick Henry became governor of that commonwealth once the new constitution was ratified. The position of governor was one that Patrick Henry sunk all of his energies into, something that was of extreme importance because during that time, the Revolutionary War was wreaking havoc on Virginia. Henry made sure that his army was fed and clothed, and had plenty of weapons and ammunition. Well-loved and highly respected by the people, he was re-elected in 1777, 1778, 1784, and 1785, serving five terms in all as governor.
In 1788, Patrick Henry was called upon to assist in ratifying the Constitution of the now-United States. He made no secret of the fact that he was vehemently opposed to many parts of this important piece of our country's beginnings. Henry stated that he did not feel that the Constitution truly protected the rights of the individual citizen, nor of the states. Needless to say, the United States Constitution was still approved and Henry graciously accepted that decision, although with a caveat: he was directly responsible for the addition of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution, which addressed those particular areas that Henry found needed more clarification. He drafted these ten amendments to the Constitution, and they were easily ratified.
Patrick Henry left politics shortly after drafting the Bill of Rights, feeling that he had done his job in getting the new country off to a running start. He had sunk into debt during the time he was in political office and happily took up his law career once again in order to earn a steady income. By now, he was renowned and sought after as a public speaker, and his good name made his law business extremely lucrative. He was primarily a criminal lawyer by this time, and once again many citizens enjoyed sitting in the courtroom and listening to him argue his cases as a form of recreation. Henry was able to retire with plentiful assets after working for just another six years, settling on his Red Hill estate in Virginia.
Citizens and politicians would have nothing of Patrick Henry's attempted retirement, and urged him to continue to seek political office. He refused again and again, saying that he was enjoying the quiet life at the acreage he had worked so hard to attain. Patrick Henry did not consent to run, but was elected governor of Virginia in 1796, a tribute to the love and respect the country had for him. He refused the office, which would have marked his sixth term as governor.
A short time later, George Washington urged Patrick Henry to run as candidate for representative to the Virginia state legislature, and Henry reluctantly agreed. Although he won that election, Patrick Henry died before he took office, with a distinguished life in public service a legacy.
