1. The Shaping of the American Voice
Patrick Henry
The Shaping of the American Voice

2. What do you notice about how this artwork depicts Henry?

3. Who Was Patrick Henry?
A young representative who stood up in the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1766
Delivered a dynamic and thundering speech against the Stamp Act (the hated British tax on all newspapers and public documents)
10 years later, he was recognized as one of most persuasive figures in Virginia politics

4. What Were his Teenage Years Like?
Lived on frontier in Virginia
Came from a modest home
Often accompanied mother to hear sermons of traveling preachers
Tried to be a farmer and be a merchant before he became a lawyer

5. Why is He Famous?
At 29 years old, he was chosen to represent his region in the VA House of Burgesses
Famous for his speech against the Stamp Act
Also, famous for his “liberty or death” speech in as the colonies were nearing their breaking point with England

6. What Motivated the “Liberty or Death Speech”?
Following the Boston Tea Party in 1773, British closed port of Boston
They instituted harsh measures referred to as “Intolerable Acts” by colonists
The First Continental Congress protested these acts
The British relieved the colonies of taxation if:
1. They fully support British rule
2. They support British troops in America

7. St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond
March 20, 1775, a convention was held to decide how to respond to the British military threat
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were both there
Several made speeches in favor of compromise
Patrick Henry rose up to share his famous words
At the climax of the speech, he used a letter opener and plunged it toward his chest!!!

8. The Power of Language! Henry persuaded the delegation
The Virginia Convention voted to arm its people against England
April 19, 1775, the Battle of Lexington, Massachusetts ignited the Revolutionary War