The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1879-06-03

THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE

Concluded In two weeks.) .al.i
From John Esten Cookies Stories Of the OLE
rN' iH Dominion.1 = ipf
We are now nearly at the begin
ming Of the great American Reyolu
ton. In this struggle Virginia was
one of the foremost of the colonies
and her promptness was due in 3
large measure TO the determined
character Of her leaders. Patrick
Henry was the most famous ofthese
and | shall here give you an account
of him but first l ought to tell you
how affairs wero at the moment when
he appeared. 7" t''i'1
There were many other colonies
you know, on the soil of America
Soon after the settlement of James.
town, party of Dutch and English
established New amsterdam (l6l4)
now the city OF New York. Then
lin 1920 number of English. who
had made bargain with the Virginia
Company, in London, landed at Ply.
month, in New England. and found
cd the Colony OF Massachusetts,
Soon atterward (l624) the Dutch and
Swedes settled Delaware and Penn
sylvania, and q party of English
Catholics, under Lord Baltimore
founded Maryland (l63l). And so,
step by step, the whole country
along the Atlantic was settled by
white people, who drove back the
Indians, and eyeryiyear grew strong
Grand more prosperous. III U
This may not seem very interest.
ing; but when you hear of a famous
man, you like to be told whenhe
was born, and how his early life was
passed; and il is well TO the origin, oI
nations. The United States is now
the largest Republic in the world
aud American boys ought TO know
how their country had its bearing.
For about one hundred and fifty
years the colonies went on prosper.
ing rand If England, to whom they
belonged, had treated them Justly
they might have remained a part ol
the British Empire. They were
strongly attached 10 the "Mothet
Country" as they called England
but instead of returning this attach.
ment, and taking pride in her robust
children, who were growingto man.
hood in the New World, England
seemed to have no thought in refer
ence to them but what profit she
could derive from them. She seem.
cd 10 look down upon them. and
treated them like interiors, To cal
a man an American was the samcthin,
with them as saving that he wa
rough and nncivilhed: and. in part
this feeling continued almost up I,
the present fine, when at last /
seems 10 bo changing. But, wbal
was worse, they were resolved Il
make all the money they could out
Of the colonies, fairly or unfairly
Laws were passed taxing them heav
lily, although they were not represent
ed by any Of their own people in tn
English Parliament; and at last, Il
the year 1855, came the celebrated
Stamp Act. This directed that n,
business papers of any sort should b,
binding on any one unless they had
certain stamp rpon them, and for thi
stamp the Americans had to pay. A
tax was laid on tea, glass and othcl
articles; and when intelligence cam,
that these laws had been passed, n vi
olent commolion took place in thu
colonies. ,,r 7'2it .. p.
Virginia and Massachusetts wer'
foremost in declaring that they wouit
not submit, and l shall now toll yol
what sort ol mon led the people II
Virginia. Patrick Henry was il
front of all, and, Thomas. Jefferson
followed limJ II shall, therefore, Civ
you an account Of these two remark
able men, and endoavor to show yol
by what circumstances their charac
.ers were shaped,as we'll as what sor
of persons they were.
lam particularly anxious to pre-
sent this familiar view of them, MS |
will show yon how they looked, ant
talked, and acted among their friend
and 'neighbors. sYou will thus b.
able to form an idea of the men n
they really were. When we look q
their statues in marble or bronze the,