Most Influential Founding Father: Patrick Henry

Introduction

The constitution was signed on September 17th of the year 1787 in Pennsylvania. It was ratified on December 7th by five out of the nine states needed to bind it. It was February of 1788 when the states who opposed it made a deal to agree to ratify the document only if amendments would be proposed to address the concerns of the protection of basic political rights. The government finally began to run under the new constitution in March of 1789 and amendments followed soon after. Various men were a part of the revolution which led to creating this document and implementing it into American society, these men we refer to as “The Founding Fathers.” The Founding Father I believe had the most impact on shaping our government was Patrick Henry for several reasons based on his contributions during that period.

Contributions and Their Significance on Government and Society

 “Give me liberty or give me death is a well-known line from Patrick Henry” (History.com, 2019). Henry can be described as a prominent figure during the revolution that always stood up for what he believed in. That example of his character alone would have an influence on others around him that also contributed to shaping the government as we know it. During the revolution, he was known for speaking up to Great Britain, and he also pushed greatly for the addition of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. Henry did not agree with the constitution originally so he believed the Bill of Rights would address some of the issues with the constitution alone. Although the constitution was the basis for establishing an order to society, I think that those who opposed letting it be the only set of guidelines are the people who prevented the power from only lying in the hands of a couple of voices that would have caused issues later down the line. Overall, Henry is known for being the one to “fire up” the country to fight for the society they wanted to live in, while also allowing a line of power to help guide the citizens into a new way of living.

 Another contribution that Henry brought to the formation of our government was that he was not just a politician, but he was also a lawyer. “His first major legal case was the Parson’s Cause that took place in 1763 and was considered one of the first legal attempts to challenge the power that England held over the American colonies” (History.com, 2018). This case was one of the beginning legal aspects of what began the fight for freedom and eventually shaped the signing of the constitution and the amendments that followed since. Henry also contributed using his legal expertise by pushing for a stance against the taxation caused by the stamp act. According to History.com and their explanation of Patrick Henry’s history, in the speech to address the taxation issues Henry exclaimed that the king of England would be subjected to the same fate as Julius Caesar if he was to continue oppressing the colonies. This elicited a spark that added to the fueling tension between the colonies and their ruler. 

 As for his fight against the constitution as an anti-federalist, Henry was also a key figure in the creation of The Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is what kept the power of the leading figures to a certain threshold so that fears of a monarchy would not eventually become a problem. The Bill of Rights is also what protects our liberties and allowed us the freedoms that we have today. Henry wrote several papers that opposed the constitution and fought for the rights of the people. As Virginia’s first governor beginning in 1776, Henry had a substantial audience to have his voice and influence acknowledged. “Henry’s anti-federalist movement stemmed from him being appalled that the new people in power were making the same mistakes that were bound to lead to similar outcomes for the people” (Thomas Kidd, 2017). He rebelled against the control the government was trying to impose, as those in power sometimes unintentionally let it get to their head and need balanced, and made certain that history would not repeat itself. This concept can be shown in his statement “show me that age and country where the rights and liberties of the people were placed on the sole chance of their rulers being good men without a consequent loss of liberty! I say that the loss of that dearest privilege has ever followed, with absolute certainty, every such mad attempt” (Bill of Rights Institute, n.d). This quote by Henry questions the people to show one instance where someone with too much power did not result in the loss of liberties and to plead to not let it happen in this situation. On a wider scale, his leadership in this movement is what allows us today to be considered free as many times an unequal balance of power can often result in control and loss of independence. This idea that power needs balanced would become a concept that later led to the different branches of government and onto how bills, laws, and policies would be implemented.

Although Henry sometimes opposed the colonial leaders, he was still able to put his own opinions aside to help them in the fight against British policies. This shows that one contribution Henry also made to the shaping of the government was the ability to fight for the same cause even with those he sometimes fought against. This was a good example to the people that at that time there needed to be a revolution and they all needed to come together, despite any feelings they had towards one another to accomplish the goal of freedom. The ability to be clear-headed and not let emotions blur the root cause shows that Henry was truly a fantastic leader and gifted in his ability to model the vision that many shared of freedom and a reasonable government that allows them their necessary rights. A lot of the contributions Henry made were through speech and sophistication with his character showing that he was a great option to lead the people with his mind to the freedom we experience now.

 Conclusion

“Patrick Henry indirectly contributed again as his passionate speech of ‘give me liberty or give me death’ was able to convince those in attendance of the Second Virginia Convention to initiate preparing the troops to commence war on Great Britain” (History.com, 2018). His influence on people was so strong that he was able to provide the push that the leaders needed to begin strategizing their plan to achieve independence. This is another example to support the idea that Patrick Henry was highly influential in this event but he is not often one that we choose to consider. Although there were others, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson that contributed strongly to our independence and the shaping of our government, Patrick Henry was the voice that gave people the courage and passion they needed to fight for what they want.

 Without Patrick Henry and the contributions that he made, history could have gone a lot differently. There always needs to be a voice in situations like these, that encourage and push those who need it to have the courage to do what they have to do. We tend to pride people based on what action they take but often forget about the people that pushed them into action. An equal balance of action and encouragement was provided by this figure in history that helped shape our way into our society today. Starting with his influential speeches and background of political knowledge, as well as legal, he was able to use his mind and willpower to fight for the vision he had for what we now refer to as America. It takes a strong character and passionate mind to be able to move people in a way that they find it within themselves to fight or make hard decisions like declaring a war where many people will be at risk. Patrick Henry standing up for what he believes in makes me believe that he was one of the most impactful figures in shaping our government.

 Bibliography

History.com Editors. “Patrick Henry.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/patrick-henry.

Kelly, Martin. “America's Most Influential Founding Fathers.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 23 May 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/top-founding-fathers-104878.

“Patrick Henry.” Bill of Rights Institute, https://billofrightsinstitute.org/educate/educator-resources/founders/patrick-henry/.

“U.S. Constitution Signed.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Feb. 2010, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-constitution-signed.

“Why Did Patrick Henry Oppose the Constitution? ~ The Imaginative Conservative.” The Imaginative Conservative, 30 Oct. 2018, https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2017/03/patrick-henry-constitution-thomas-kidd-timeless.html.

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