P ATRICK H ENRY
Often referred to as the voice of the Revolution, Patrick Henry played a vital role in helping to launch the revolt of the American colonies against British rule. After the Revolution, Henry played an active part in the debates over the founding of the United States. As a leading anti-federalist, he argued against the ratification of the Constitution because he feared the federal government would be too distant and powerful, but once it was adopted, he defended the Constitution and the federal government against the radical states rights challenge of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. In both his political triumphs and defeats, Henry was influential in establishing the nature of public discourse for a generation of new Americans.
In this concise biography, John A. Ragosta explores Henrys life and his contributions to shaping the character of the new nation, placing his ideas in the context of his times. Supported by primary documents and a supplementary companion website, Patrick Henry: Proclaiming a Revolution gives students of the American Revolution and early Republic an insightful and balanced understanding of this often misunderstood American founder.
John A. Ragosta is a Fellow at Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and a Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Randolph College. He is the author of Religious Freedom: Jeffersons Legacy, Americas Creed (2013) and Wellspring of Liberty: How Virginias Religious Dissenters Helped Win the American Revolution and Secured Religious Liberty (2010).
R OUTLEDGE H ISTORICAL A MERICANS
S ERIES E DITOR : P AUL F INKELMAN
Routledge Historical Americans is a series of short, vibrant biographies that illuminate the lives of Americans who have had an impact on the world. Each book includes a short overview of the persons life and puts that person into historical context through essential primary documents, written both by the subjects and about them. A series website supports the books, containing extra images and documents, links to further research, and, where possible, multi-media sources on the subjects. Perfect for including in any course on American History, the books in the Routledge Historical Americans series show the impact everyday people can have on the course of history.
Woody Guthrie: Writing Americas Songs
Ronald D. Cohen
Frederick Douglass: Reformer and Statesman
L. Diane Barnes
Thurgood Marshall: Race, Rights, and the Struggle for a More Perfect Union
Charles L. Zelden
Harry S. Truman: The Coming of the Cold War
Nicole L. Anslover
John Winthrop: Founding the City upon a Hill
Michael Parker
John F. Kennedy: The Spirit of Cold War Liberalism
Jason K. Duncan
Bill Clinton: Building a Bridge to the New Millennium
David H. Bennett
Ronald Reagan: Champion of Conservative America
James H. Broussard
Laura Ingalls Wilder: American Writer on the Prairie
Sallie Ketcham
Benjamin Franklin: American Founder, Atlantic Citizen
Nathan R. Kozuskanich
Brigham Young: Sovereign in America
David Vaughn Mason
Mary Lincoln: Southern Girl, Northern Woman
Stacy Pratt McDermott
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.: Civil War Soldier, Supreme Court Justice
Susan-Mary Grant
Belle La Follette: Progressive Era Reformer
Nancy C. Unger
Harriet Tubman: Slavery, the Civil War, and Civil Rights in the Nineteenth Century
Kristen T. Oertel
Muhammad Ali: A Man of Many Voices
Barbara L. Tischler
Andrew Jackson: Principle and Prejudice
John M. Belohlavek
Sojourner Truth: Prophet of Social Justice
Isabelle Kinnard Richman
Ida B. Wells: Social Reformer and Activist
Kristina DuRocher
Patrick Henry: Proclaiming a Revolution
John A. Ragosta
www.routledge.com/cw/HistoricalAmericans
First published 2017
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
2017 Taylor & Francis
The right of John A. Ragosta to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereaft er invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Ragosta, John A., author.
Title: Patrick Henry : proclaiming a revolution / John A. Ragosta.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, [2016] | Series: Routledge historical
Americans | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016006793| ISBN 9781138023017 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781138023024 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781315776729 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Henry, Patrick, 17361799. | LegislatorsUnited
StatesBiography. | United States. Continental CongressBiography. |
VirginiaPolitics and government17751783. | United StatesPolitics
and government17751783. | Henry, Patrick, 17361799Sources.
Classification: LCC E302.6.H5 R65 2016 | DDC 973.3092dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016006793
ISBN: 978-1-138-02301-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-02302-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-77672-9 (ebk)
Typeset in Minion Pro and Scala Sans
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Of course, a book is not craft ed in isolation, and I owe a great debt of gratitude to a number of people for their assistance (although I readily accept all responsibility for any errors). I am grateful that Paul Finkelman asked me to undertake the project over a thoroughly enjoyable lunch at Seymours near Clinton, New York and then provided insightful comments and suggestions on the manuscript. I also appreciate the assistance of my Routledge editors, Margo Irvin and Dan Finaldi, who face a formidable task in bringing authors works to print.
In trying to understand Henry, I have benefitted greatly from visits at Red Hill, Hanover Courthouse and Tavern, Scotchtown, Colonial Williamsburg, and St. Johns Church. I appreciate the excellent work that the people at each of these sites do to preserve history and present it to the public in a useful format. Important new work of a different nature is now being performed in the Papers of Patrick Henry project at Documents Compass at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFH), and I appreciate the assistance that I have received from Sue Perdue and Will Kurtz, although I wish that their work had progressed much further before I undertook this task.
I am especially grateful to the opportunity that I have had to research and write through the wonderful support of Robert Vaughan, Jeanne Siler, Ann Spencer, and all of the staff at, and benefactors of, VFH. Much of the work on this volume was done while I was honored with the Edna and Norman Freehling Fellowship in South Atlantic Studies at VFH. The insights and encouragement of Peter Onuf are also to be noted; as he has reminded me, he will always be my advisor. The opportunities to discuss Henry and his time with Mark Couvillon, Johann Neem, David Konig, Carolyn Eastman, Greg OMalley, George van Cleve, and others were always highly valued. And I apologize for the many others who have, directly and indirectly, provided assistance but who are not mentioned specifically here. Then there is, too, the great and continuing support that my work receives through the home in which I live and work and the loving encouragement of Liz.
