A FAILED STORE OWNER, A TAVERN ASSISTANT, AND YET...
Neither Failure Nor Fear Held Him Back
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Here are some little known facts about a man you thought you knew. Can you guess who he is?
A Patriot. An Orator. A brilliant Statesman. One who, as a child, continued to rise up unblemished, victorious.
Hmm. That’s not entirely true about his background.
Let’s take a closer look.
Little Patrick’s parents worried about their child. Seems his aptitude for education was subpar. Endeavoring to help, his father established his two sons, Patrick and William, in business … which went bankrupt.
Next, young Patrick was unsuccessful at farming tobacco. Then, his farmhouse burned down. Imagine what his father-in-law thought when his daughter and Patrick moved in with them. Maybe their relationship wasn’t so bad because Patrick began managing his dad-in-law’s tavern.
As only the Lord could orchestrate, the tavern was across the street from Hanover County Courthouse. History doesn’t record what had stirred Patrick Henry’s desire to become a lawyer. We do know that after studying six brief weeks, he passed the bar and went on to win his first case. A case that brought him in opposition to the king of England.
From that point on, Henry never wavered in his convictions. In his argument against the Stamp Act in 1765, he said, “If this be treason, make the most of it.” The quote that forever established him in the hearts and minds of Americans came when he organized the local militia in Virginia.
“Give me liberty or give me death.”
Though this is sometimes wrongly attributed to George Mason, Patrick Henry wrote the following for the Virginia Convention on June 12, 1776.
That no free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue, and by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.
That religion, or the duty which we owe to our CREATOR and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.
Like many of us, Henry’s life did not read like a perfect fairy tale from birth to death.
Henry took care of his first wife who suffered from a mental illness. After her death, he remarried and become the father of a total of eleven children. He succumbed to stomach cancer in his early sixties.
As many of his peers, Patrick Henry left a legacy that still shines brightly. Thank you, Mr. Henry, and thank you, God, for the liberty and freedom we enjoy today!
Stories like these are inspiring. Thank you for the inspiration today.