The Parsons" Cause case bolstered Henry's reputation as a champion of colonial liberties.
Patrick Henry was very much in support of rebelling against the British Empire. He fought against all that the colonists felt were unjust at the time. Throughout the time of revolution, Henry worked closely with other Revolutionaries such as Thomas Jefferson and Richard Henry Lee. With these men he offered many resolutions to the problems that British Parliament was throwing at the colonists.
In 1765, Henry started his political career when he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in Williamsburg. Later on in the same year as his election, the British Parliament enraged the colonies by passing the Stamp Act, a form of direct taxation. Patrick Henry led the fight against the act in the House of Burgesses and presented seven resolutions condemning it (Mayer, 52). The Stamp Act resolutions asserted that only the colonial legislatures could levy taxes on the colonies. .
Henry made it very clear to the Crown that the path they were following would cause nothing but trouble. In support of his resolutions, Henry hinted at revolution warning, "Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the Third may profit by their example." In answer to cries of treason from conservative members, Henry replied, "If this be treason, make the most of it." Patrick Henry and his resolutions to the stamp act proved to have a major impact on colonists as it caused a chain reaction that deeply affected opinion in other colonies.
Henry soon became a leading political figure in Virginia. In 1773, together with Thomas Jefferson and Richard Henry Lee, he persuaded the House of Burgesses to appoint a committee of correspondence for Virginia (Vaughan, 42). Committees were established in other colonies to exchange news, mobilize public opinion, and coordinate actions against Great Britain. This was a major step in uniting the colonies against the British crown and helped in getting the message out to King George that they were coming together and were not to be ignored.
