Patrick Henry (1736–1799) was a major figure in the American Revolution and the first governor of the state of Virginia. Henry was not highly educated, but his skills as an orator propelled him to leadership in the Revolutionary era. As a member of the House of Burgesses, Henry vehemently opposed the 1765 Stamp Act. He helped organize Virginia’s first Committee of Correspondence and served as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses. At a meeting of the Virginia Convention in 1775, he stated his commitment to independence...