Patrick Henry was born on May 29 of the year 1736 in Studley, Hanover County, Virginia. He grew up in a Presbyterian believing home, Patrick's father, John Henry, was a Scott, who taught Patrick most of his schooling until he was about fifteen.
❧Patrick Henry ❧
By Alyssa Carlson
Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? These noble, forthright words were spoken by a fiery young patriot and great orator who had dedicated his life to the goal of winning rights for the people of America.
Patrick Henry was born on May 29 of the year 1736 in Studley, Hanover County, Virginia. He grew up in a Presbyterian believing home, Patrick’s father, John Henry, was a Scott, who taught Patrick most of his schooling until he was about fifteen.
As Patrick grew up, people found him to be a charming, bright young boy with a gentle, sweet spirit and a good sense of humor. Yet he was still a boy, who loved to hunt with his Uncle, and working was not his fancy. So, John Henry, observing that Patrick and his older brother Jack, in his eyes, were not wisely using their time, he decided that he would try having them run a general store together. This idea, brought about in 1751, was at first, pleasing to the boys. However, when Jack, known to his family as, ”the lazy boy”, began again to live up to his nickname, and eventually, Patrick was running the store by himself. However, even with this distraction gone, the soft-hearted, fearless Patrick not only collected so many “to pays” that he became hopelessly in-debt, but also scared away, or argued with his customers with his strong and usually very persuasive arguments on political matters. It sometimes got so out of hand that he would not see or hear his customers coming and going. After failing twice at this career in a span of seven years, Patrick decided to try farming in the year 1753. This too, after a few months, proved dull and boring to the talkative Patrick Henry, and it to, failed. While still trying to find a purpose in life, Patrick went to the village dances to entertain the townspeople with his fiddle. There he met a girl named Sarah Shelton. They spent a lot of time together that year and in the summer of 1754, they got married. Their dowry was a lovely little homestead with a few acres. With only a few slaves and himself, they soon found that it was not enough to live on with a brand new baby boy. Then, one dry summer, their little home was burnt to the ground by a brush fire. This devastating occurrence left the young Henry family completely broke and homeless, and all they had left was themselves and their slaves. They then moved into the second story of the Shelton’s house until Patrick could find another job. Sarah was not well after this devastation, and she was taken care of by her family when Patrick was away. Patrick first went to the closest large town to look for a friend of his, Thomas Jefferson. Patrick knocked at the door of the office, was invited in, and for a moment could not find where the speaker was from all the books surrounding the walls, covering the floors and cluttered on the desk. Jefferson was surprised yet not unhappy that Patrick had come to visit him and inquired what he had come for. I have come to ask what I must do to become a lawyer, was the reply. Completely taken aback by this sudden determination, Jefferson at first tried to persuade Patrick to abandon the idea, but seeing that it was hopeless, he finally let Patrick borrow a few basic law books encouraging him to study hard. Patrick did just that. He went home and studied for hours, until he had almost memorized the books. He then went back to Jefferson and asked how he could make an appointment with the bar. The bar! After only a few months of study! Jefferson was perfectly amazed. But Patrick would see the bar, even after many months of delay, Patrick never dropped his determination, he kept persevering, and eventually was accepted in the year 1760. Patrick received the first gentlemen’s signature without to much trouble, the second grudgingly and the third, since George Wythe would have nothing to do with him, fell upon Peyton Randolph, a gentleman who thought Mr. Henry to hot-headed and had had not enough study to even get close to being an effective lawyer. He pressed Mr. Henry first with a simple question; the answer came back true and firm. He asked a harder one, the answer again came back without hesitation. After almost two hours of debate, Peyton yielded and signed Patrick’s card admitting him to law.
