Scotchtown

Scotchtown, March 1775. Patrick Henry paces the grounds of his estate in the cool morning air, seeking peace and answers. He has reached an emotional climax of anguish, anger, and unyielding frustration. Sarah Henry, his wife, is dead after a long and taxing illness, his six children are motherless, his large-scale plantation needs to be managed, and the colony of Virginia is in near revolt against the British Royal Government. In three weeks, Patrick is due to attend the Second Virginia Convention and is faced with a decision: should he employ his extraordinary passion and fervor to urge the colonists to prepare for war?, Patrick Henry is Virginia's leader and advocate for justice. As an elected member of the House of Burgesses, he implores his fellow delegates to hold the government accountable. He compels the colonists to procure official recognition of their unalienable rights. He repeatedly urges Royal Governor Lord Dunmore and even the king to listen to the delegates' outcries, but his protests fall on deaf ears. Patrick Henry is at a crossroads and has run out of tolerance; does he have anything left to lose? Is now the time to seek peace and appease the Crown, or is this the pivotal moment he needs to urge Virginians to take up arms and fight to defend their lands, rights, property, and equality? He makes his intentions clear in his speech when he argues "we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight!", (captions) , This is a detail of a ca. 1770 map of Virginia drawn by John Henry, Patrick Henry's father. Based on this map you can roughly make out the journey Patrick would have traveled when trekking from his home at Scotchtown (red square) to the city of Richmond, to join the Second Virginia Convention at St. John's Church, then known as the Henrico Parish Church. Courtesy Library of Congress, Although his words were not recorded and published until 1817, Patrick Henry's speech was the rallying cry that launched a revolution, and was heralded as such for decades to come. Imagery of Patrick Henry proclaiming to the Virginia Assembly has long had a presence in American historical lore. This 1876 Currier and Ives print was published on the 100th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution and shows how Henry's act has long been idealized and touted as the deed of a true patriot. Courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art, While making his fiery speech at St. John's Church, Patrick Henry thrust this paper cutter to his chest, mimicking a knife to the heart when he shouted, "Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" Courtesy Patrick Henry's Red Hill