Patrick Henry - Patriot

When you think of Patrick Henry his famous quote flashes in your mind, "I know not what others may choose but, as for me, give me liberty or give me death."

And in truth he was a harp with one string, that string was liberty. He had grave concerns about the constitution and spoke out against it in its current form "Your President may easily become King: Your Senate is so imperfectly constructed that your dearest rights may be sacrificed by what may be a small minority; and a very small minority may continue forever unchangeably this Government.

His concerns and oratory for the anti-federalist position helped bring about the amendments that became the bill of rights. "The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.”
 Henry served on the committee in the Virginia Convention of 1776 that drafted the first constitution for the state. He was elected governor the same year and was reelected in 1777 and 1778 for one-year terms, thereby serving continuously as long as the new constitution permitted.

In his later life Henry’s views and ideas started changing, (possibly due to the French Revolution). During the 1790s, Henry started supporting Federalist policies of Washington and Adam.

 Henry showed strong support for John Marshall, (chief justice, leader of the Federalist party), and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates as a Federalist after being urged by George Washington to stand for the post. Henry died before he could serve this assignment.

As both Anti-Federalist and Federalist Henry left his mark on America, (and fathered over 15 children). He would have loved SANS Rocky Mountain 2017 where the spirit of patriotism is alive and well.