Patrick Henry

Virginia House of Burgesses

Born:	May 29, 1736
Birthplace:	Hanover County, Virginia
Education:	(Lawyer, Politician)
Work:	Elected to Virginia House of Burgesses, 1765; Admitted to the Bar of the General Court in Virginia, 1769; Elected to the Continental Congress, 1774; Virginia Militia Leader, 1775; Governor of Virginia, 1776-1778, 1784.
Died:	June 6, 1799

Portrait of Patrick Henry

"Radical," is a title that few men can wear with ease. The name Patrick Henry, during the revolution and for some time after, was synonymous with that word in the minds of colonists and Empire alike. Henry's reputation as a passionate and fiery orator exceeded even that of Samuel Adams. His Stamp Act Resolutions were, arguably, the first shot fired in the Revolutionary War.

Patrick Henry's personality was a curious antidote to the stern honor of Washington, the refined logic of Jefferson, and the well-tempered industry of Franklin. Young Henry was an idler and by many accounts a derelict; though everyone knew he was bright, he simply would not lift a finger except to his own pleasure. By the age of 10, his family knew that he would not be a farmer, and tried instead to train him toward academe. He would not apply himself to studies either. At age 21 his father set him up in a business that he bankrupted shortly thereafter. Finally the general public disgust in Hanover and pressure from his young family (he had married at the age of eighteen) caused him to study for six weeks and take the bar exam, which he passed, and begin work as a lawyer.
In 1764 he moved to Louisa county, Virginia, where, as a lawyer, he argued in defense of broad voting rights (suffrage) before the House of Burgesses. The following year he was elected to the House and soon became its leading radical member. It was that year that he proposed the Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions. Few members of the Burgesses, as aristocratic a group of legislators as existed in the colonies, would argue openly for defiance of Gr. Britain. Henry argued with remarkable eloquence and fervor in favor of the five acts, which by most accounts amounted to a treason against the mother country. In 1774 he represented Virginia in the First Continental Congress where he continued in the role of firebrand. At the outbreak of the revolution, he returned to his native state and lead militia in defense of Virginia's gunpowder store, when the royal Governor spirited it aboard a British ship. Henry forced the Governor Lord Dunmore to pay for the powder at fair price.
In 1776, Henry was elected Governor of Virginia. He was re-elected for three terms and then succeeded by Thomas Jefferson. He was again elected to the office in 1784. Patrick Henry was a strong critic of the constitution proposed in 1787. He was in favor of the strongest possible government for the individual states, and a weak federal government. He was also very critical of the fact that the convention was conducted in secret.
President Washington appointed him Secretary of State in 1795, but Henry declined the office. In 1799, President Adams appointed him envoy to France, but failing health required him to decline this office too. He died on June 6, 1799 at age of 63.

SPEECH IN THE VIRGINIA CONVENTION...

Virginia Conventions

 

For the 1788 convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution, see Virginia Ratifying Convention.

The Virginia Conventions were a series of five political meetings in the Colony of Virginia during the American Revolution. Because the House of Burgesses had been dissolved in 1774 by Royal Governor Lord Dunmore, the conventions served as a revolutionary provisional government until the establishment of the independent Commonwealth of Virginia in 1776.

First thru fourth conventions

The first convention was organized after Lord Dunmore dissolved the House of Burgesses when that body called for a day of prayer as a show of solidarity with Boston, Massachusetts, following the Boston Port Act. The Burgesses moved to Raleigh Tavern to continue meeting. The Burgesses declared support for Massachusetts and called for a congress of all the colonies, the Continental Congress. The Burgesses, operating as the first convention, on August 1, 1774, met and elected representatives to the Virginia convention, banned commerce and payment of debts with Britain, and pledged supplies and support to Boston.
The second convention opened in Richmond and met at St. John's Church on March 20, 1775. At the convention, Patrick Henry proposed arming the Virginia militia and delivered his "give me liberty or give me death" speech to rally support for the measure.
The third convention met in July 1775 after Dunmore had fled the capital and taken refuge on a British warship. The convention created a Committee of Safety to take over governance in the absence of Dunmore. The convention also divided Virginia into 16 military districts and resolved to raise regular regiments.
The fourth convention denounced Dunmore and declared that Virginians were ready to defend themselves "against every species of despotism."

Fifth convention

The fifth convention began May 6, 1776 and met in Williamsburg. On May 15, the convention declared independence from Britain and adopted a set of three momentous resolutions: one calling for a declaration of rights for Virginia, one calling for establishment of a republican constitution, and a third calling for federal relations with whichever other colonies would have them and alliance with whichever foreign countries would have them. It also instructed its delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to declare independence. Virginia's congressional delegation was thus the only one under unconditional positive instructions to declare independence; Virginia was already independent, and so its convention did not want their state, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, to "hang separately." According to James Madison's correspondence for that day, Williamsburg residents marked the occasion by taking down the Union Jack from over the colonial capitol and running up a continental union flag.
On June 7, Richard Henry Lee, one of Virginia's delegates to Congress, carried out these instructions and proposed independence in the language the convention had commanded him to use: that "these colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states." This paved the way for the American Declaration of Independence, which also reflected the idea that not one nation, but thirteen free and independent states were aborning on the east coast of North America.
Thr convention amended, and on June 12 adopted, George Mason's Declaration of Rights, a precursor to the United States Bill of Rights. On June 29, the convention approved the first Constitution of Virginia, which was also the first written constitution adopted by the people's representatives in the history of the world. The convention chose Patrick Henry as the first governor of the new Commonwealth of Virginia, and he was inaugurated on June 29, 1776. Thus, Virginia had a functioning, permanent, republican constitution before July 4, 1776 -- uniquely among the thirteen American colonies.

KITTY NEALE'S LOST ANGEL _ chaptera 21 - 30

it's funny, actually, and i never thought i would be saying this.. but the truth is that this 535 pages long story is quiet fascinating and interesting .it's weird that when i actually sat and read chapter after the other, in a seemingly helpless effort to finish before the deadline, i actually became indulgent in the story as it actually appeared to have lots of events and twists and turns. i admit it ...among the books that I've read so far, this one is the closest to watching a movie (which is something i love doing)..any way, let's not chat about it for it would probably take centuries...
sooo... chapters 21 - 30 (during those chapters many unexpected things occur):
when hilda left somerset i thought it would be the last time we'd hear about gertie.. but ..who knows?..gertie appear's to be their savior!..as conditions in london have gotten worse, hilda and ellen had no other choice but to move elsewhere.. that is to move to a safer place. when hilda returned to london earlier, she had minimal doubts that clapham would be bombed. she had put all her doubts on the shelf for she had a million other reasons to go back most of which were concerning ellen and how she'd have friends and go to a proper school....
many unfortunate events have happened to hilda in london like her loss of her parents and the loss of her long awaited child...and hence she began to actually believe that her stay in london was a bloody curse, more of an omen of bad luck and misfortune.. so now when things got worse...unexpectedly gertie appears again and tries to help hilda and ellen...
of course hilda did not forget what had happened last time when they lived at gertie's, yet she had no other choice but to accept gertie's offer and live in the cottage in hampshire.
and later was followed there by her good friend mable...
ellen's got a new friend now (sheila)...oh and there's one more ironic thing...that is in earlier chapters, ellen was pictured as being exasperated by billy's presence while now she has some feelings towards him..(too bad billy doesn't feel the same towards ellen ). he has feelings of affection and obsession towards horses, and that's probably the main reason for him not wanting to go back to london.. oh yes... the story is indeed full of surprises..doug (whom i thought were dead ..actually from the very first chapters i used to think that he were did but each time he would "surprisingly return... just like now...he turned out to be alive just like the old hocasy pocasy lady had foretold ..as usual, hilda and ellen are more than pleased to see doug...
ellen went with sheila to a similar  woman in hampshire and this one told ellen that there would be pain and peace in her life...
ellen got jealous from sheila when she started spending more time with billy than she did with ellen...but later they became friends again (i still don't know what of a friend is sheila to tell ellen about stuff hilda thought ellen was too young to learn!)
ellen  then felt sad that billy had to leave with mable because his father was wounded. billy similarly felt the same, but this wasn't because he won't be able to see ellen, but because he would leave the life he loved most (and the horses)behind. yet as stubborn as he is, he tries hard to convince his parents to let him go back to hampshire...when finally peace spread around as the war was over with Europe's victory, victory, everyone was jolly...doug and ellen but not hilda,were pleased to go back to london... ofcourse ellen would have preferred to stay in hampshire rather than go back to london because hampshire, unlike london, was beautiful, but she longed to see billy once again and thus couldn't wait to get back to london (another irony because when they returned earlier she'd first detested london but now it was ok with her).
as i mentioned earlier, obstinate billy was arguing about going back to hampshire, and now (for ellen's bad luck) he won the argument and left ellen in sorrow.
how weird can this get to be?.. ellen loves billy, billy loves horses and not ellen, billy's brother, percy, loves ellen and not horses hahaha...back to ellen's parents ... doug was suffering from his intolerable back ache and was having a hard time in an effort to hide his agony...hilda is aware of the situation and finally makes up her mind that whether doug liked it or not she is going to find a job and start working because she's probably tired of their adversity and hopes to make things better..
the family's savior , gertie, came back again and after seeing their horrid state, she tries her best to lend them an arm in any possible way...                                                                                       to be continued.....

KITTY NEALE'S_LOST ANGEL-chapter 6-10

hilda and ellen have been in somerset for two years now... it is ellen's twelvth birthday ...she's oficially a grown up now . hilda and gertie give ellen her birthday gifts... one gift appears to be from doug..he had made ellen a wooden cat and sent it to her along with a letter.. hilda is skeptical towards gertie now that gertie started hugging her and so on...
hilda, gertie , and ellen go to the village and hilda gets a cake made by mrs.brandon... they go back home... hilda prepares vegetable soup ..they all sit and eat ..then hilda gets the cake...ellen feels so happy...hilda starts hallucinating, she fears something went wrong with doug ...ellen makes her birthday wish...
 hilda's worries about doug are all gone now that she had finally received a letter from him... she is still having this weird feeling that someone is standing right beside her.. and thus she asks gertie whether she believed in ghosts or not.. the latter told her that it's probably the work of her imagination and that she thought ghosts do not exist (things have to be scientifically proven first in order for her to believe them).doug arrival at gertie's was a surprise longed for and rejuvinated at by both ellen and her mom yet loathed most by gertie..
i can't believe that gertie actually feels jealous from doug.. this woman is sickingly sick!she's most filled with rage especially when she knew that doug would be staying with them for the next three weeks..
doug is still skeptical towards gertie and is constantly worried about hilda and ellen and at one moment he lost his temper ... at that moment gertie realized that she had managed to hide her feelings from hilda but wasn't successfull at doing the same with doug...the three weeks flew by so quick and it was time for doug to leave again ... as usual hilda and her daughter were feeling so sad while gertie couldn't be happier at that moment ... she couldnt' wait for him to leave .. she did her best to get doug to the station on time so that he would not stay a single second longer.. a few days later, both gertie and ellen caught a flu or something and hence had to remain in bed both half awake and hilda nursing both and taking care of the household and the animals... after almost a week of a fluctuating fever and of illness, ellen and gertie are hale while hilda who had been fatigued from all the effort she's done during the past week falls unconscious due to some breathing illness.. lucky enough hilda was taken to the hospital by mrs brandon and there she is taken good care of...
gertie and ellen paid her a visit and the villagers were so nice to the two of them.. they offered them a rabbit pie and some chicken soup and were so gentle with them.. gertie had mistakingly thought that those people were haughty nosy ones but it appears they were all a bunch of caring and loving people.. yet gertie still believes that her isolation mustn't be intrused in any  possible way... at first i thought that the people knew all about gertie and that they loathed her and that that's why she thought they were only after gossip but it appears that they treat her all well while on the other hand she's being supercilius...

examine each pic carefully :)

how many people do you see?

stare at the four dots in the middle for 20 seconds then look at the wall or the ceiling and close your eyes...

KITTY NEALE'S LOST ANGLE-chapter 5

this chapter is sooo long!!! ...hilda and ellen were so happy that doug was there with them. ellen noticed a change in her mom who started taking care of herself and wearing makeup... ellen was so happy but sometimes felt secluded especially when it came to her sleeping with gertie or when her parents would go outside alone... gertie suggests that hilda doug and ellen spend the day together , and indeed they do. while they were away, gertie took the chance and went to the village inorder to sell pinkie the pig for she knew ellen was fond of it and hence wouldn't let them sell it. doug liked the life in the countryside especially aftr he saw how happy ellen were and how she'd become a robust kid. gertie chated doug and doug warned hilda from gertir, now we know why gertie's dad and everyone else disliked her, it's probably because she is a nasty disgusting person and what's weird about her is that she knows that it's abnormal and not right and that she feels guilty about her feelings! she even feels jealous from doug...i think she was mistakingly born into this world as a female! anyway when the ellen and her parents get back home. when ellen learned that pinkie was dead she felt so angry and so sad. later , gertie gave her a surprise in order to compensate for her. she broght ellen a pet cat which ellen named socks. now that two weeks have passed, it was tim for doug to leave again. hilda and ellen were so sad that doug had to leave, while gertie on the other hand was having a hard time hiding her feelings of happiness and satisfaction and pretending to feel sorry.

KITTY NEALE'S LOST ANGLE-chapter 4

five months have passed..ellen's stammer disappeared,and she's now receiving home tutoring by gertie because the nearest school is on the other side of the village....ellen enjoyed her time during the spring and spent hours roaming in the woods.
hilda was glad to see her daughter happy,yet she till hated living in isolation. she kept intouch with mable and was shocked by the news that mable's house was bombed too. mable,lucky enough found hersel a flat in clapham away from the bombing.
hilda misses her husband and is so worried about him because she hadn't heard from him since a very long while...gertie's father was a religious man ; hilda shuddered remembering her childhood fear and awe of that man.
hilda asks gertie to take her t the village to see whether there were any news about doug. at first gertie didn't want to go but then after she saw how earnestly hilda wanted to go ,she agreed to take her. and indeed they took ellen and headed off to the village. as soon as the arrived at the village, hilda rushed into the general store-cum-postoffice, but , unfortunately, the elderly postmistress told her that there was no mail for her .hilda felt so disappointed... she buys so stuff.. chats with mrs. brandon...it seems that gertie doesn't like the local people and hates chatting with them , claiming that they are only after gossip!
when they were about to leave, a strange man on a motor bike ,stopped infront of them, and to their utter surprise, the stranger was no one but the only doug whom hilda was so freakingly worried about and feared were dead.