As Americans commemorate the 250th anniversary of the start of our American Revolution in 1775— most memorably the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord next month– there are actually a number of key events the American people should be remembering and honoring. One of the most iconic moments in the Revolutionary War era took place in March 1775: a speech given by the famed Virginian, Patrick Henry, to a packed house at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. The day was March 23, and the occasion was a meeting of the Second Virginia Convention. It was the fourth day of the convention, and Henry was there to petition the Virginia Colony’s political leaders to make ready for war against Great Britain. This was one of the most important moments in the history of our country in the years leading up to the Revolution, which we’ll discuss in due course. But let us digress for a moment, and discuss Patrick Henry the man, and some of the main events that shaped his later thinking about liberty, justice, and independence.
Background
The story of Henry’s early years in Virginia is briefly summarized. He was born in 1736 on his family’s farm in Hanover County, Virginia. He was of Scottish descent, and his father John Henry was well educated; thus, Patrick was largely home-schooled. While engaged in various trades and business pursuits—including operating a tavern– Patrick studied law, and ultimately he received his law license in 1760 at the age of 24. His law practice brought him a good income, and good experience in public speaking before judges and juries. Over time, Henry became well-known for his oratorial skills, and his defense of individual liberties in various court cases. Soon, he became acquainted with several of the leading political leaders in Virginia, including Peyton Randolph, the future President of America’s First Continental Congress. It was through these relationships that his political career was launched.
1765: The Stamp Act Controversy
Henry’s political career began in earnest when he was elected to Virginia’s House of Burgesses in May 1765, representing Louisa County. This was just weeks after the English Parliament had passed the infamous Stamp Act, and the American colonies were in a rebellious mood. The timing of his election was propitious– Henry immediately threw himself into the political debates over the Stamp Act. When the House of Burgesses met in Williamsburg on May 29, he stood up and launched a full-throated attack on Parliament, and he strongly advocated that Virginians should refuse to abide by the Act. While no transcript of that speech survives, first-hand accounts confirm that Henry went far beyond a mere “remonstrance.” Indeed, he was quoted as saying “if this be treason, make the most of it!”
Henry’s speech made him a star. The resolutions he proposed in opposition to the Stamp Act were mostly approved by the Burgesses, setting an example for other colonies to follow. News of Virginia’s forceful rejection of the Stamp Act soon reached the other colonies, and by August the news had reached England, where Members of Parliament reacted with dismay; they repealed the Act the following Spring. Thus, a decade before the Revolutionary War commenced in 1775, Patrick Henry already had set the colonies on a course for independence through his provocative stance against the Stamp Act in 1765.

1774: Conflicts with Lord Dunmore
Over the ensuing years, Henry’s opposition to Britain’s attempt to regulate the colonies hardened, and by 1773-74, he had become part of a “Committee of Correspondence” in Virginia, the purpose of which was to communicate and share information with political leaders of the other colonies. After the Boston Tea Party in December 1773, and passage of the “Coercive Acts” of 1774, Henry became fully radicalized. He took the lead in bringing together a group of burgesses who pushed back against Virginia’s royal Governor, Lord Dunmore. In reaction, Dunmore abruptly dissolved the House of Burgesses in order to shut down any organized resistance. But Henry and his allies would not be deterred, and over the next three years (1774-76) they held five different conventions, including a few that took place after war broke out in April 1775.
Sept-Oct. 1774: The First Continental Congress
In the meantime, Henry was elected to be a delegate to the First Continental Congress that met in Philadelphia in 1774. Henry distinguished himself at the Convention, so much so that one of the leaders of the Congress, Silas Deane, described him as “the compleatest speaker I ever heard.” The First Continental Congress finished its work in October 1774, without reaching a consensus on the main question: should America seek a compromise, or seek independence? Instead, the Congress took a series of steps short of declaring independence: the delegates signed the “Continental Association,” part of its “Declaration and Resolves,” which included a boycott on British goods, as well as provisions for “non-exportation” of American goods. The Congress planned to resume in the Spring of 1775—a plan that was derailed by the outbreak of war in April 1775.
March 1775: The Second Virginia Convention
When the First Continental Congress adjourned, Henry returned to Virginia. In early 1775, Virginia held its Second Virginia Convention. Henry was among the most strident of the delegates to the Convention, and he pleaded with his fellow delegates to raise a militia, and prepare for war. “The war is inevitable and let it come,” he declared. “I repeat sir, let it come.”
So here are the concluding words to Henry’s speech to the Virginia Convention on March 23, words that have gone down in history as a clarion call to the American colonists to mobilize:
“There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free—if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending—if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained—we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! … Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
Henry ended his famous speech with a flourish: he grabbed an ivory-handled paper cutter and, holding it like a knife, pretended to stab himself in the chest.
Some historians debate whether the after-the-fact accounts of Henry’s speech are accurate; there is no transcript of his exact words. Whether entirely correct or not, there is no doubt that Henry’s speech moved his audience: the delegates passed the legislation he was advancing, and Virginians now were authorized to prepare for armed resistance.
So, today we commemorate the 250th anniversary of Henry’s most famous moment, a moment that defined an era, and that persuaded many Americans that war was inevitable, and independence was the goal.