I chose Patrick Henry for my essay primarily because I presented a portion of probably his most famous Walk Through the American Revolution speech in fifth grade. In this oration Patrick Henry's very angry manner was shown. I thought this meant he was a very opinionated man who would lead a fun life, so I chose him again for this Alter Ego project. Patrick Henry was born on May 29, 1736, and was assertive from a young age, valuing freedom and independence almost excessively. Living in Hanover County, Virginia, he learned many wilderness skills and embraced an independent lifestyle, far from social restrictions. In 1752, he and his brother opened a store, but it went bankrupt about a year later. The following year he married sixteen-year-old Sarah Shelton at the age of eighteen and began farming. However, once his farming lifestyle failed miserably, he sought to open another shop to support his growing family. Over the course of his life, his family rapidly increased, adding up to two wives, Sarah Shelton and Dorothea Dandridge, seventeen children, and seventy-seven grandchildren. In parallel with his previous attempt, the store failed once again. He moved on to law, where he finally passed his exams and became a lawyer in 1760. He became known for being a powerful orator and an excellent lawyer after his first case, The Parson's Cause, which served as a springboard for his future as a lawyer. people and their rights. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Although not remembered as much as he should, Patrick Henry had a number of experiences important to both his personal life and America. As previously mentioned, the Parson's Cause case greatly increased Henry's popularity, leading to a rapid rise to fame and a now-developed reputation for being a master orator. Two years after his monumental victory for Parson's Cause, he was granted a seat in the Virginia House of Burgesses, which was essentially the legislative body of Virginia before the Revolution. There he gave one of his most famous speeches, in which he introduced resolutions against the Stamp Act. On May 29, 1765, Henry declared that “Caesar had his Brutus, Charles I his Cromwell, and George the Third… can profit by their example ! If this is treason, take advantage of it!” Other members of the House shouted that what Henry had said was treason against the crown. Henry was one of the first Americans to introduce the idea of ​​complete freedom, something many considered unthinkable before the start of the Revolution. His controversial statements were printed and distributed throughout the colonies. With this new mindset implemented in American minds, the desire for freedom grew, eventually leading to the outbreak of patriots who fought for the very proposal they had declared treasonous a few months earlier. With his character often described as an opponent of tyranny, he was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1774. With his convincing arguments against the English, it is very likely that he was instrumental in convincing influential Americans to support the Revolution. Unfortunately, during Henry's increasing involvement in politics, he returned home less often, throwing his wife Sarah into depression as he single-handedly cared for all of their six children. She is presumed to have killed herself as a result of her condition, dying in 1775. Henry, unhappy as a result of the death, began to turn to political events, leading to his most famous speech on 23 March 1775. The members of the Second Convention ofVirginia were optimistic, they hoped for peace, but not Henry. He spoke of the crimes the monarchy had committed against American rights and openly suggested declaring war on Great Britain. He concluded his speech with his seven most significant words: "Give me freedom or give me death!" News of his statements echoed across the nation, becoming not only a message to Americans, but a slogan for the Revolution. Shortly thereafter, Henry was chosen as commander of the Virginia forces, but due to his inferior military experience, he fell short in this position and ended up resigning in 1776. During the Virginia Convention of that year, he helped write the draft state constitution. He was also elected Virginia's first governor, remaining in office for another two years due to reelection. As governor he led the war effort, sending troops to various colonies. Additionally, he constantly provided supplies and support to his close friend, Continental Army commander George Washington. In recent years his help has advanced the war and without him it is possible that the American forces would have lost. In 1777, forty-one-year-old Patrick Henry married eighteen-year-old Dorothea Dandridge, whom Henry's son also fancied. The couple would have eleven children together, Henry wanted to increase the population to have more volunteers in the war. He had briefly retired to his estate, but was called back to political action as a leading member of the state legislature from 1780 to 1790. In 1784, Henry again became governor. He did not attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, an unfortunate decision since he had no input into the Constitution, and thus was dissatisfied with how the document had created such a strong national government without considering citizens' rights. If he had left, the Constitution might have become an entirely different document. Anti-Federalist documents, criticizing the overwhelmed government, began to appear in many newspapers, many of which were written by Henry himself. Because of the explicit comments on the imperfections of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights was created, a list of rights of American citizens. He was adamantly against ratification of the document and called for a diminution of the federal government's powers, but because he had not attended the Constitutional Convention, he was not up to date on much of the political sphere, so he failed to live up to his proclamations, resulting in eventual ratification of the Constitution by thirteen states. During this period, however, he began to return to legal practice, abandoning all political involvement in 1791 to concentrate fully on the law in order to support his large family. With the death of his son-in-law, he welcomed his daughter and grandchildren, in addition to the ten children he currently had with Dorothea. From 1794 to 1796, Henry turned down a multitude of government positions, including the position of U.S. Senator, Secretary of State, and Chief Justice. However, due to the disunity caused by the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions, he ran for a seat in the state legislature in 1799. However, he died on June 6, 1799 before he could take the position and was buried in his home in Red Hill. . Since all I knew about Patrick Henry was his speech at the Virginia Convention, much of this information was new to me. Although not a household name in American history like Washington or Jefferson, Patrick Henry was still an essential component to the founding of this beloved country. . Being a Founding Father is already more than enough reason to write a biography about him. Furthermore, Henry was one of the greatest sparks that lit the flame of.