|
After twenty-five years in Virginia's legislature,
five conventions, and five exhausting terms as governor, Patrick
Henry retired to Red Hill and resumed his private legal practice.
Failing health and the needs of his family prompted him to
decline appointment as Chief Justice of the United States,
Secretary of State, and minister to Spain and to France. He even
turned down a sixth term as governor of Virginia.
Only a direct appeal from George Washington
persuaded Henry to stand for election to the Virginia legislature
in 1799. Partisan strife threatened to undermine the young
republic. The repressive Alien and Sedition Acts prompted
opponents to assert that states could nullify acts of the
federal government. Bowed with age, his health precarious,
Patrick Henry made his last public oration to the voters at
Charlotte County Courthouse - an appeal for unity and moderation
to preserve the nation. Patrick Henry died three months later,
on June 6, 1799, and was buried at Red Hill. The "Voice of
the Revolution" fell silent - but his words echo into the
21st century.
Read
more... | Full
Biography
|
