Patrick Henry Essay Examples

May 29, 1736

June 6, 1799 (aged 63)

Admitted to the bar in 1760, Patrick Henry soon built a large and profitable practice. His skill as an orator was displayed in the Parson’s Cause trial (1763). Elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1765, he opposed the Stamp Act.

In March of 1775, the Second Virginia Convention met at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, to discuss the state’s strategy against the British. It was here that Patrick Henry delivered his most famous speech, ending with the quote, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”. Historians say that Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech helped convince those in attendance to begin preparing Virginia troops for war against Great Britain.