In 1768; Philadelphia physician Benjamin Rush stood before the empty throne of King George III; overcome with emotion as he gazed at the symbol of America's connection with England. Eight years later; he became one of the fifty-six men to sign the Declaration of Independence; severing America forever from its mother country. Rush was not alone in his radical decision—many of those casting their votes in favor of independence did so with a combination of fear; reluctance; and even sadness. In Our Lives; Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor; acclaimed historian Richard R. Beeman examines the grueling twenty-two-month period between the meeting of the Continental Congress on September 5; 1774 and the audacious decision for independence in July of 1776. As late as 1774; American independence was hardly inevitable—indeed; most Americans found it neither desirable nor likely. When delegates from the thirteen colonies gathered in September; they were; in the words of John Adams; “a gathering of strangers.†Yet over the next two years; military; political; and diplomatic events catalyzed a change of unprecedented magnitude: the colonists' rejection of their British identities in favor of American ones. In arresting detail; Beeman brings to life a cast of characters; including the relentless and passionate John Adams; Adams' much-misunderstood foil John Dickinson; the fiery political activist Samuel Adams; and the relative political neophyte Thomas Jefferson; and with profound insight reveals their path from subjects of England to citizens of a new nation. A vibrant narrative; Our Lives; Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor tells the remarkable story of how the delegates to the Continental Congress; through courage and compromise; came to dedicate themselves to the forging of American independence.
#144369 in Books Kidd Thomas S 2011-11-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.50 x 1.00 x 9.50l; 1.16 #File Name: 046500928X320 pagesPatrick Henry First Among Patriots
Review
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful. Most Underrated Founding Father?By CustomerPatrick Henry was devoted to liberty; patriotism; and public moral virtue. These three threads are important to understanding his life and impact.In First Among Patriots; Thomas Kidd examines the man known as the "Voice of the American Revolution." Most Americans know Henry only for his "Give me liberty" speech. Many; through history and in contemporary culture; try to claim him as a patron saint for their own political positions. Henry; however; is much more than any popular conception.A native of what was then the "back-woods" region of Virginia; Henry achieved prominence as a lawyer and eventually as a representative in the colonial legislature. It was there that his oratorical skills would help rouse the nation to the cause of Independence. Considered a radical by some; a patriot by others; Henry would become a controversial figure in both Virginia and national politics.He would serve as the state's war-time governor and repeatedly in the state legislature. His legendary oratorical skills were not matched by political aptitude; and he often grew impatient with extended deliberation. This was to his detriment - on more than one occasion; he would lose a battle he thought already won.Henry's passion for liberty would rouse a nation to independence. His passion for limited government would pit him against the architects of the new American government. It was his role as a leader of the anti-Federalists; those who opposed the adoption of the Constitution; that earned him the animosity of many of the founding fathers and his former friends.Kidd makes note of the influence of faith in Henry's life. Much of his thinking; including his views on an established church; was shaped by a firm belief in the necessity of public morality to the stability of a nation. Siding against his one-time friend Thomas Jefferson and the Baptists of Virginia; he believed that the government should encourage morality through support of churches.The author notes that Henry believed the government should promote morality. "Two primary ways of doing this were punishing immorality under the law; and encouraging morality through churches and schools." He continues; "Jefferson and Madison cooperated with many evangelical dissenters; especially Baptists; in arguing that religion would survive; and even thrive; on a purely voluntary basis."Henry was no saint. His flaws include inconsistency on the issue of slavery; a tendency to bend principle for the sake of profit; and occasional lapses in his characteristic frugality are evident. Kidd highlights these; but frames them charitably in their proper context.I found this book enjoyable to read. It provide a more accurate portrait of the man I consider one of the most underrated of the founding fathers. The author strikes a proper balance between the subject and the historical setting without getting either out of focus. He gives insight into an important period of our history through the life of a man who was "first among patriots."0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Give me liberty not debtBy Cabin Dweller"Fierce winds and roaring thunder forced him to conclude his speech. Frightened members scurried to take cover. For Henry's biographer William Wirt; the 'spirits whom he had called; seemed to have come at his bidding.' Angels or not; Henry failed to stop ratification. The convention voted the next day to approve the Constitution; 89-79." So it was that Patrick Henry was "vastly overpowered by the deep reasoning of our glorious little [James] Madison."James Madison; Edmund Pendleton; Thomas Jefferson as of 1780; Alexander Hamilton; atheistic Frenchmen and just about all the rest of those 89 yeh voters were Henry's nemeses among many. Thomas Kidd shows Henry as brash and confrontational; not a surprise to any reader who's heard not only of "give me liberty or give my death" but of his wife in chains at the time of that oration.Kidd also shows the Patrick Henry who opposed the Constitution for its concentration of federal power and its lean away from religion; Henry being one to support freedom "of" religion much more so than freedom "from" religion. The question I would still have: who were the 79 voting against the Constitution and making its legacy not; at the time; such a sure thing? (George Mason and James Monroe; also much less revered and men of ideas more than action.)What disqualifies Henry from the top rank of Founding Fathers is not his opposition to the Constitution. In business; Henry did not accomplish enough to fill up one chapter. In military matters; all accounts agree this was simply not his forte. Although to his credit he was something of a self-made man; his one niche in Colonial era government was protest of centralized and tyrannical power; be it British or presidential. It makes no sense for someone today to disqualify a Tea Party candidate from government because of that candidate's stance against the wielding of government interference and programs; but Henry in the 1780s and 1790s functioned from the outside looking in without outlining how a political figure such as himself could be a silent partner to democratic pockets run by states.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An interesting and well written book about a man whose ...By Astrea JonesAn interesting and well written book about a man whose name is well known; but who is often thought of only in relation to his famous "give me liberty or give me death" speech. Patrick Henry was a man of strongly held convictions and oratory skill able to inspire others and dedicated to his idea of liberty. Although he was an integral part of our country's struggle for freedom from the British; he strongly opposed the system of government proposed by former friends James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. He believed we were only trading the tyranny of a king for the tyranny of a president. Was he right?
