Later in his life as a young man, Henry entered into a career of importing and exporting. His skill, however, proved to be somewhere other than business. He failed as a storekeeper and as a farmer within the space of seven years (Microsoft Corp). In 1756, Patrick Henry married his first wife, Sarah Shelton. Shortly after marriage, Henry then turned his attention to the study of law. He received his license to practice law in 1760 and soon after acquired a large number of clients within his county. By 1770 Henry was specializing in appeals before the Virginia General Court. His skill in criminal cases was perhaps unsurpassed by any other American lawyer of the period.

In 1763, Patrick Henry earned great distinction in his actions during a major case known as Parsons' Cause. This famous suit involved a law that permitted parishes in Virginia to pay the Anglican

clergy in currency, rather than in tobacco, a commodity that was currently mandated by the British government at the time. The legislation was passed when the price of tobacco rose due to recent crop failure. Before it could really take effect, however, the British king, George III, vetoed the legislation.

When the revolution had subsided, Patrick Henry did not slow down his pace toward liberty one bit. After the expiration of his fifth one-year term as governor, Patrick Henry was elected a member of the Virginia delegation to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. However, strongly opposed to the formation of a strong central government in the country, Henry declined to attend the convention in 1787 and 1788 (Mayer, 74).

During the conflict, Henry had been appointed a colonel in command of the first regiment of Virginia. After some friction with other commanders, however, he resigned his commission in 1776 (History Central). Henry moved on to take an active political role in Virginia. In 1776 he was elected governor of Virginia for the first of three consecutive one-year terms. After the death of his first wife, Henry married Dorothea Dandridge and returned to his adored life on the plantation. Staying away from politics did not last for long however. He returned to public service as a state legislator, a position he held from 1780 to 1784, and was then reelected governor from 1784 to 1786 (Mayer, 86). While he was governor, Henry helped draft the Virginia constitution, and he dispatched a successful military mission to the northwest headed by George Rogers Clark.

In 1775, while Henry was preparing to attend the Second Continental Congress, news of the battles at Lexington and Concord reached Virginia. Lord Dunmore, the colonial governor, ordered the colony’s supply of gunpowder and ammunition seized. Patrick Henry collected the militia, marched on Williamsburg, and forced the governor to return the supplies (Vaughan, 71). He then proceeded to Philadelphia, where he took his seat in the new congress. This event shows Hen

Some topics in this essay:
Patrick Henry, History Central, Convention Richmond, Dorothea Dandridge, Parsons' Cause, George III, Patrick Henry’s, Constitution Henry, Convention Philadelphia, Virginia Vaughan, patrick henry, federal government, stamp act, house burgesses, continental congress, george iii, jefferson richard henry, jefferson richard, richard henry, henry lee, history central, richard henry lee, thomas jefferson richard,