What was patrick henrys speech

Relations between the colonists and the government back in Great Britain had steadily deteriorated over the decade since the Stamp Act was passed in During their session in Philadelphia, which ended after about seven weeks of debates, the group agreed to a boycott of British goods within the colonies as a sign of protest, spelled out in the Continental Association.

Henry spoke to the second Virginia convention in March , to discuss the events in Philadelphia and the need to form armed militias in Virginia in case British troops attempted to control the area. A tobacco shortage caused by drought led to price increases in the late s. In , Great Britain passed the first of a series of taxes to help pay for the growing costs of defending the American colonies. The Stamp Act of required American colonists to pay a small tax on every piece of paper they used.

Colonists viewed the Stamp Act—an attempt by England to raise money in the colonies without approval from colonial legislatures—as a troublesome precedent. Patrick Henry responded to the Stamp Act with a series of resolutions introduced to the Virginia legislature in a speech. The resolves declared that Americans should be taxed only by their own representatives and that Virginians should pay no taxes except those voted on by the Virginia legislature.

Later in the speech, Henry flirted with treason when he hinted that the King risked suffering the same fate as Julius Caesar if he maintained his oppressive policies. Patrick Henry delivering his great speech on the Rights of the Colonies, before the Virginia Assembly, convened at Richmond, March 23, George Washington , Thomas Jefferson and five of the six other Virginians who would later sign the Declaration of Independence were in attendance that day.

Royal Governor Lord Dunmore responded to the speech by removing gunpowder from the magazine. Henry spoke without notes. No transcripts exist from his famous address. The only known version of the speech was reconstructed in an biography of Henry by author William Wirt, leading some historians to speculate that the famous Patrick Henry quote may have been fabricated by Wirt to sell copies of his book.

Patrick Henry married his first wife, Sarah Shelton, in , and the two went on to have six children together. Unlike his mother, who had strong roots in the region, his father immigrated to the colony from Scotland.

The second of nine children, Henry received much of his schooling from his father, who had attended university in Scotland, and his uncle, an Anglican minister.

He was a musical child, playing both the fiddle and the flute. He may have modeled his great oratory style on the religious sermons by his uncle and others. Henry sometimes attended services with his mother which were held by Presbyterian preachers who visited the area.

At the age of 15, Henry ran a store for his father. The business didn't last, and Henry had his first taste of failure. He married Sarah Shelton, the daughter of a local innkeeper, in As part of his wife's dowry, Henry received some farm land. He tried growing tobacco there for three years, but he didn't fare well in this new venture. In , Henry and his wife lost their farmhouse to a fire. He then managed a tavern for his father-in-law and studied to be a lawyer. In , he secured his law license.

He and Shelton had six children together. As a lawyer, Henry developed a reputation as a powerful and persuasive speaker with the case known as "Parson's Cause.

Henry spoke out against the minister when the case went to a jury to decide damages. Pointing out the greed and royal interference in colonial matters associated with this legal decision, he managed to convince the jury to grant the lowest possible award—one farthing, or one penny.

In , Henry won the election to the House of Burgesses. 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. Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?

For several moments after Henry sat back down, the assembled delegates seemed at a loss for words. A hushed silence descended on the room. After Richard Henry Lee and Thomas Jefferson both lent their support, the resolution passed by only a few votes.

Henry was appointed the head of a new committee charged with readying the Virginia militia for combat. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Live TV. This Day In History.