Patrick Henry: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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During the Civil War era, both sides claimed Henry as a partisan, with [[abolitionist]]s citing his writings against slavery, while those sympathetic to the Southern cause pointed to his hostility to the Constitution. That opposition by Henry came to be seen by many writers, even those friendly to Henry, as a blot on an otherwise admirable career.{{sfn|Kidd|pp=247–249}} Beeman, writing in 1986, just before the Constitution's bicentennial, predicted that during that anniversary, "it will be hard to avoid depicting Henry as one of history's losers, as one too short-sighted to see beyond the bounds of his own native state to glimpse the promise of national greatness embodied in the federal Constitution."{{sfn|Beeman|pp=302–303}}

Henry has been cited as a hero to both Left and Right, but has become ana especialparticular favorite of the latter. He is especially attractive to Christian conservatives, who cite his deep religious beliefs, as well as his writings and speeches in favor of Christian virtue, and in defense of religious liberty. Because Henry was educated at home, by his father, he has become a symbol of the [[homeschooling]] movement. In 2000, [[Patrick Henry College]] was founded in [[Purcellville, Virginia]], in large part for those who had been homeschooled. Although Henry's most famous declaration has proved as adaptable as ever in the hands of the Right (one sign at a [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]] rally in 2010 read "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Debt"), according to Kidd, "few Americans today, Tea Partiers or others, take seriously Henry's fundamental criticisms of the Constitution."{{sfn|Kidd|pp=249–250}}

Tate wrote of Henry, "Of the numerous leaders who were active largely at the state level and who generally opposed ratification of the Federal Constitution, Henry was one of the few who came to be ranked among the truly major figures of the American Revolution."<ref name = "a" /> Kukla concurred, noting that except for two years in the Continental Congress, Henry never held national office, "and yet he was a founder of the republic".{{sfn|Kukla|p=393}} Kidd noted the hazy view of Henry that Americans today have,