“Give me liberty or give me death!” proclaimed Patrick Henry in his most memorable phrase.  Patrick Henry was acknowledged to be the best public speaker of all the revolutionary war leaders.  After reading George Willison’s excellent biography on Patrick Henry, I realized this was not his most influential act as a leader.  There is a story from history that needs to be remembered as an example of a man and his principles.  On May 29, 1765 a young 29 year old Patrick Henry walked into the Hall of the House of Burgesses.  Only 39 of the 116 members were in the hall as many had left assuming nothing great would be accomplished in the last few days of the session.  In hindsight, nothing could have been further from the facts. 

The explosion of truth and courage displayed by Patrick Henry on this day would reverberate throughout the known world.  More evidence that individual moral acts matter in God’s eyes.  England had recently passed the infamous Stamp Act and Virginia leaders were upset at the obvious power play by the English leaders.  Virginia had always appropriated the taxes and “tyranny” was frowned upon by these freedom loving people.    As Thomas Jefferson was later to say, “The power to tax is the power to destroy.”   A direct tax on the people was a new policy employed by the British.  Virginians believed it violated their rights and privileges they had enjoyed since the founding of the colony.  Although many members of the House were speaking behind the scenes—no one seemed to have the courage to go public with the complaints the Virginians had with the English taxes.   In walked Patrick Henry to fill that leadership gap and expose the hypocrisy of the English position. 

The more conservative members of the house agreed the Stamp Act was wrong in policy and in implementation, but stressed an obeisance tone to the English leaders.  Patrick Henry believed if Virginia had constitutional and inalienable rights then let’s assert those rights—not grovel for them on bended knee at the whim of King George.  Let me quote directly from Mr. Willison’s book:

In pioneer communities where people lived by hard toil and most men were their own masters, a new equalitarian society was evolving—one in which there were no marked distinctions in wealth and social status.  Depending on his energy and abilities, one man was as good as the other, and none was disposed to bow to the pretensions and obiter dicta of their self styled “betters.”

I translate this to mean, “When you are right you better stand, because to not stand for truth does not make you a peacemaker, but a coward."  The Henry family had not raised a coward and he believed strongly in his God given rights.

I will continue this historical essay tomorrow.  Here are some questions to ponder before tomorrow’s leadership lesson.  If you were part of the House and saw the English trouncing on the liberties of the colonies what would you do?  Would you gripe behind the scenes and complain about those silly Englishmen and yet do nothing when you have a chance to speak in public?  Too many would be leaders know what is right, but they lack the character to stand for truth when they believe it may hurt.  What kind of leadership ducks and runs the moment things get tough?   What do you think Patrick Henry will do when he has his moment to speak to the House of Burgess?   History is so fascinating to me because you can learn from the moral stands made or not made.  Where would our land be today had we not had a group willing to stand for truth regardless of the personal cost?  You must use your own moral imagination to place yourself as a member of the House of Burgess and determine where you would be in the early conflict that set off the Revolutionary War.   History remembers the names of the courageous few who stood for truth and relegates to the dustbin of history the cowardice majority who fawn obedience to policies they know to be wrong.   Tomorrow we will learn what a courageous leader does when confronted with truth and tyranny.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward