Patrick Henry Famous Speech

Patrick Henry, one of our many founding fathers, was born in Hanover County, Virginia, on May 29, 1736. In the early years of his life, he lived on his mother’s family plantation with his father and eight other siblings. He was taught by his father, who studied at a university in Scotland, and his uncle, who was an Anglican minister. In 1754, when Henry was only 15 years old, he married Sarah Shelton, whose father was a local innkeeper. About three years after they got married, their farmhouse burned done. After their farmhouse burned down, Henry was the manager of a tavern for his father-in-law. While working for his father-in-law, he studied to become a lawyer. By 1760, he managed to get his law degree. In the “Parson’s Cause”, a court …show more content…
At the Virginia Convention in March of 1775, Patrick Henry gave the most powerful speech he has ever given. The most important part of the speech was his most famous saying. His famous quote was “ I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!” In this speech, he persuaded people to fight for their country and their rights using Biblical references. After his speech, the American people began the start of the American Revolution. After the American Revolution, Henry thought that a powerful federal government would lead to a tyranny the Americans felt under the rule of Britain. This is the exact reason why, in 1787, he did not attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. When he heard talk about the Constitution being ratified, he let his opinion become known. He told the other founding fathers that the principles of the document were “dangerous” and that it would wrongly impact the states’ rights. Because of his way with words, many of the federalists thought his opinion would sway other people’s opinions, but his words did nothing to sway their votes about the