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A Historical Leader : Patrick Henry As A Great Leader

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Patrick Henry is an important historical leader. A great leader, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a person who runs a group, country, or organization, and excels at it. He lived during the Revolutionary War and fought for America’s freedom. Patrick Henry should be viewed as a great leader because he believed in freedom, human rights, and was an important person during early American history (Merriam Webster).
Patrick Henry lived an interesting life. Patrick Henry was born on May 29, 1736, in Hanover County, Virginia. He lived on Studley Plantation. His father was a planter, mapmaker, and the justice of the peace. Patrick was educated by his father and his uncle, Reverend Patrick Henry. He was raised as an Anglican, and had Presbyterian influences. Later on in his life though, he became an Episcopalian. When he was eighteen, he married a woman named Sarah Shelton and received a six hundred acre farm and six slaves. Owning slaves contradicted his religious beliefs; and he was very open about this saying, “Would anyone believe I am the master of slaves of my own purchase. I will not, cannot justify it… it is a debt we owe to the purity of religion, to show that it is at variance with that law which warrants slavery” (“Patrick Henry 1736-1799”). This shows that he does not believe in slaves. After Sarah died, he married Dorothea Dandridge in 1777. Patrick Henry tried to be a planter and a storekeeper, but both careers failed. He later became a politician and

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