St Johns Church - Richmond, Virginia

 

“Give me Liberty or Give me Death!”

St. John’s Church – Richmond, Virginia

“Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it! Almighty God! Forbid it! I know not what course others may take but as for me, give me LIBERTY or give me DEATH!

Patrick Henry

St John's Church - Where Patrick Henry gave his famous
"Give me Liberty or Give me Death" speech - JDJ Photo

As we enter the season of the 250^th birthday of the United States of America, I thought it would be interesting to describe some of the incredible sites I have seen that are associated with the founding of our country and share what happened at those places. Many fascinating places that where the struggle for Independence played out – remain and can be visited today. Securing our Independence was only the first chapter and struggle to gain and maintain our Republic. In the coming weeks we will examine sites located all across the country  associated with the War of 1812, the Mexican American War, the Civil War, the taming of the Wild West and the World Wars. I have visited Richmond, Virginia several times and each time I discover how little I know and comprehend about that historic city. The city was founded at the end of ship navigation on the James River upstream and west of Williamsburg and the first settlement of Jamestown. Because it was located at the terminus of river travel and along inland pathways, the city grew quickly and soon became an important hub of commerce and eventually the State Capital and the Capital of the Confederacy. Because of its Confederate association, which made it the chief object of Union Army goals during the Civil War, much of historic Richmond was destroyed.

Sketch of St John's Church from Harper's Weekly - 1912

A few key structures survived however and thankfully for our Nation, one of these was St. John’s Church. St. John’s Church, is situated on top of a hill about 1.3 miles east of the State Capital in the center of the city. It belongs to the Henrico Parish that was founded in 1611. The present church was built in 1741 on land donated by Richmond’s founder William Byrd II.  It was here that Patrick Henry gave his “Give me Liberty or Give me Death!” speech on 23 March 1775. This speech fanned the flames of revolution in Virginia and led to the establishment of the Virginia Militia. In the 1760’s and 1770’s the colonists were becoming increasingly fed up with the treatment they were receiving from the English Parliament, the Lords in charge of the various colonies and the King himself. Initially much of the disgruntlement came from the fact that the British had just fought the Seven Years War against France in which they were victorious but that war was extremely costly and emptied the Kings treasury. Parliament decided that they would make the colonies pay for the costs of the war and maintaining armies because they held the opinion that the war was fought to protect the colonies from the French and the Indians so they could foot the bill. To meet these ends, the British passed the Stamp Act in 1765 which placed a levy on legal documents, newspapers, and other printed materials. This was the first tax on the colonials and they did not like it because they were being taxed without representation in Parliament. Other acts soon followed like the Townshend acts placed further taxes on paint, paper, and tea. Then in 1768 the British occupied Boston with a military force and events such as the Boston Massacre in 1770 and the Boston Tea Party in 1773 further enraged the colonials. Things came to a head with the passage of the Intolerable Acts which closed Boston Harbor, put that city under direct British control, and forced the colonials to quarter British troops on their property. Talk of Revolution was spreading all up and down the Eastern seaboard from the Ocean shores to the base of the Appalachian Mountains and during the second Virginia Revolutionary convention in 1775, those debates came to St. John’s Church. In attendance in the church at this convention were George Washington, Thomas

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other Patriots listened to Patrick Henry's speech while sitting in these pews - JDJ Photo

Jefferson, Peyton Randolph – who would become the first president of the continental congress and George Wythe – who would replace George Washington as a delegate to the Continental Congress when Washington left to take command of the Continental Army. The pews of the church were filled with legislative speakers who argued that grievances could still be settled with the British by bargaining, negotiations, or other peaceful means.  After listening to many of these speeches and pleadings, a man named Patrick Henry stood up and in front of all those influential men, gave a contrary and impassioned speech that lit the torch of liberty and inspired those men to take up arms in the relentless pursuit of freedom. Thankfully, this church where Patrick Henry made his impassioned call to arms still exists today. I have visited this church several times. Twice it was closed and I could only walk the grounds but on one visit I was lucky enough to arrive when one of the custodians was able to provide access to the interior. I was the only visitor at this time so I was essentially alone in the building. As I entered and walked up the main aisle, I felt a reverent sense of awe as I imagined this quiet, peaceful place, packed to the brim with hundreds of patriots riveted to their seats as Patrick Henry delivered his speech. Near a window consisting of wonderful stained-glass image of God and one of his disciples, a large polished brass plaque hung on the wall that read: “By his immortal eloquence he inspired in his Countrymen with the clear vision of truth and duty and roused them to consecrate themselves to the defense of Liberty” There was a black raised pulpit of old-world style, topped by plush red velvet with a white ceiling that had a golden sun emblazoned on it. Next to this pulpit was a beautiful dark rich wood grained organ with numerous shiny brass pipes of varying sizes. Highly polished brass chandeliers with nearly a dozen small lights on each hung from the ceiling above the main aisle, no doubt these would have been candles back in the day. It was easy to imagine colonials meeting in this church and praying in the dark wooden pews. As I walked through the church, I could almost hear the echoes of Henry’s speech: “Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings. Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind

Patrick Henry

and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging” – less than a month after this speech, the first shots of the revolution were fired. Next, I noticed a heavy tall brass tablet dedicated to Reverend Alexander Whitaker of Cambridge University, England hanging on the wall. I learned that Whitaker was the Rector of Henrico Parrish from 1611-1617. Whitaker was also a missionary of the Church of England who dedicated his life to upbuilding the founders of Virginia in the Christian Religion. He was greatly involved in conversion of the Indians and he taught, baptized and then married Pocahontas to John Rolfe. He was accidentally drowned while crossing the James River in 1617. So many interesting things can be learned if you take a moment to look around and read at these places. I did some quick phone research and learned a bit more about Patrick Henry. Henry served 26 years in the Virginia Legislature, 5 terms as Governor of Virginia, Drafted the Virginia Constitution of 1776 and the Virginia Bill of rights and strongly influenced the Bill of Rights consisting of the first 10 ratified amendments to the US Constitution. He was also known as the voice of the Revolution. It is interesting to note that Henry lobbied against the ratification of the US Constitution for a time because he was a staunch anti-federalist who believed in States Rights. Henry passed away in 1799 and was

Beautiful interior of St. John's Church - Richmond, Virginia - JDJ Photo

buried on his family plantation at Red Hill which is now the Patrick Henry National Memorial. After Henry’s death, John Adams wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson and in it stated: “In the congress of 1774, there was not one member, except Patrick Henry, who appeared to me sensible to the precipice or rather the pinnacle on which he stood, and had the candor and courage enough to acknowledge it”. I spent a few more moments in reverent silence, sitting in one of the pews, soaking it all in, and then I walked out and explored the red brick pathways that wind through the graveyard, up to and around the front of the church. Ancient gravestones lean this way and that in the grass all around the white church with its tall bell tower topped by the cross. The entire property is protected by an ancient looking black wrought iron fence perched upon a tall brick base. Raised grave tablets and tombs sit silently under large magnolia trees that had giant white blooms on them and large glossy green leaves. I noticed the marker of George Wythe who was a teacher of Jefferson, Randolph and others. He was the first Professor of Law in the US and the first signer of the Declaration of Independence for the Virginia Delegation. I then came upon the interesting grave of Elizabeth Arnold Poe – mother of Edgar Allen Poe. Upon the back side of this monument is a tribute that Poe wrote to his mother in a newspaper in 1845. St. John’s Church was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and should be on the short list of attractions for anyone visiting or passing through Richmond, Virginia. Take a moment to learn about the history of our Country. Your freedoms were paid for by Patriots who sacrificed all for future generations.

Old tombs in St Johns Churchyard - JDJ Photo

St. John’s Church Website for visitor and worship information:

https://www.historicstjohnschurch.org/

Patrick Henry Speech can be found here: https://www.historicstjohnschurch.org/the-speech

An incredible reading of the speech is found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8VMrSspbpA