Jonah Patel
Richard Henry Lee was a Virginian aristocrat and an active participant in key events during the Revolutionary War. He was an early advocate for independence and is credited with authoring the Westmoreland Resolution against the enforcement of the British Stamp Act in 1765. Lee was an influential member of the Continental Congress and introduced the motion that led to the Declaration of Independence. Despite his experience, Lee distrusted a strong national government and opposed the ratification of the Constitution, believing it created a consolidated government and lacked a bill of rights. While he did not sign the Constitution, he was appointed to the US Senate in 1788, serving until his retirement from public life in 1792 due to failing health.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 20 January 1732 |
| Place of Birth | Westmoreland County, Virginia |
| Parents | Thomas Lee and Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee |
| Political Ideology | Anti-federalist |
| Political Beliefs | Distrusted a strong national government; opposed the Constitution |
| Political Achievements | Introduced the motion that led to the Declaration of Independence; worked to stop the importation of slaves into the American states; authored the Westmoreland Resolution against the British Stamp Act |
| Political Roles | Continental Congress (1774-1779, 1784-1787); President of Congress (1784-1785); United States Senate (1789-1792); President Pro Tempore (1792) |
| Death | 19 June 1794 |
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What You'll Learn
Richard Henry Lee's role in the American Revolutionary War
Richard Henry Lee was a key figure in the American Revolutionary War. Born into an aristocratic family in Virginia, Lee was a passionate advocate for American independence from Great Britain. He was an early supporter of the independence movement and played a significant role in shaping the political landscape of the time.
Lee's political career began in 1758 when he joined the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he quickly gained recognition for his powerful oratory skills. In the lead-up to the Revolutionary War, Lee opposed arbitrary British policies, particularly the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts. He collaborated with Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson to propose a plan for intercolonial committees of correspondence in 1777. Lee also authored the Westmoreland Resolution in 1766, which protested the enforcement of the British Stamp Act.
Lee was an active member of the First Continental Congress and served in the Second Continental Congress from 1774 to 1779. During this time, he introduced three significant resolutions: declaring independence, forming foreign alliances, and preparing a plan of confederation. Lee's resolution for declaring independence was adopted on July 2, 1776, leading to the Declaration of Independence two days later. He was a strong supporter of independence and worked to convince delegates to support his resolutions.
Lee's commitment to independence extended beyond his political career. He once dressed his slaves in "Wilkes costume" and marched them to Montross, where he staged a ceremony in which the stamp collector, representing British authority, was hanged in effigy. This incident demonstrated Lee's willingness to use creative and impactful tactics to further the cause of independence.
Despite his absence during the vote, Lee signed the Declaration of Independence upon his return to Congress. He later served as the sixth president of Congress under the Articles of Confederation from 1784 to 1785. Lee's strong beliefs in states' rights and his distrust of a strong central government led him to oppose the ratification of the federal Constitution.
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Lee's views on the Constitution
Richard Henry Lee was a born aristocrat from Virginia. He was an active participant in many key events in the Revolutionary War, including the protest against the Stamp Act in Virginia in 1765, and he sat on the committee that named George Washington Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in 1775. Lee was also an early advocate of independence and introduced the motion that led to the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Despite his experience in the Continental Congress, Lee distrusted a strong national government, fearing that individual states would lose rights and power. He opposed the ratification of the federal Constitution because it created a "consolidated" government and lacked a bill of rights. He believed that the Constitution was not the answer to the country's problems of government and worked against its ratification.
Lee was also concerned about the lack of a bill of rights in the original Constitution. He supported proposed amendments to include a bill of rights, which was a popular political position at the time. Lee hoped that enough states would vote for these amendments, requiring a second convention and potentially changing the structure of governing the United States. However, his maneuver was defeated, and the Constitution was sent to the states without an overt approval or rejection from Congress.
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Lee's work in the Continental Congress
Richard Henry Lee was a member of the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1779 and again from 1784 to 1787. He was an active participant in the First Continental Congress and served as president of the Second Continental Congress in 1784. During the Second Continental Congress, Lee introduced three resolutions:
- For declaring independence
- For forming foreign alliances
- For preparing a plan of confederation
The first resolution was adopted on July 2, 1776, and the Declaration of Independence followed two days later. Lee had returned to Virginia by the time Congress voted on and adopted the Declaration of Independence, but he signed the document when he returned to Congress.
Lee was an early advocate of independence and became one of the first to create Committees of Correspondence among the many independence-minded Americans in the various colonies. In 1766, almost ten years before the American Revolutionary War, Lee authored the Westmoreland Resolution against the enforcement of the British Stamp Act of 1765. The resolution was publicly signed by prominent landowners, including three brothers and one close cousin of George Washington.
Lee sat on the committee that named George Washington Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in 1775. He also worked to stop the importation of slaves into the American states. However, despite his experience in the Continental Congress, Lee distrusted a strong national government and feared that individual states would lose rights and power. He opposed the ratification of the federal Constitution, believing it created a "consolidated" government and lacked a bill of rights.
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Lee's relationship with John Adams
Richard Henry Lee, an American Founding Father and statesman from Virginia, played a significant role in the American Revolution. He was an early advocate for independence and actively participated in the First and Second Continental Congresses. Lee is best known for introducing the motion that led to the Declaration of Independence in 1776, which he signed.
John Adams, another Founding Father, had a relationship with Richard Henry Lee that was marked by mutual respect and collaboration during the revolutionary period. While the specific details of their interactions are not extensively documented, there is evidence of correspondence and shared political endeavours.
On November 15, 1775, John Adams wrote a letter addressed to Richard Henry Lee, referring to "Mr. Adams' plan of government." This letter, later obtained by Edmund Jennings Lee, Richard Henry Lee's son-in-law, included ideas that anticipated Adams' "Thoughts on Government," advocating for a balanced legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The letter also mentions a "general council" appointment practice in Massachusetts.
Richard Henry Lee and John Adams served in Congress together from 1774 to 1778, as mentioned in a letter from Adams to Lee dated February 24, 1821. In this letter, Adams expresses his respect for Lee and his family, including Lee's grandfather, brothers, and cousins, all of whom he considered friends and admired for their "capacity, information, and integrity." Adams highlights Lee's public speaking skills, describing his speech as "fluent, easy, graceful, and melodious," enhanced by his classical education and allusions to ancient literature.
The correspondence between John Adams and Richard Henry Lee provides insights into their relationship, which appears to have been one of collaboration and mutual regard during the formative years of the United States. While their interactions may not have been extensively documented, the available letters suggest a connection between these two influential figures in the nation's early history.
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Lee's views on federal taxes
Richard Henry Lee, an American Founding Father and statesman from Virginia, was opposed to the notion of imposing federal taxes. He believed that continuing to borrow foreign money was imprudent and could lead to an oppressive public debt. Instead, he proposed that the states should give up their claims in the Northwest Territory, allowing the federal government to fund its obligations through land sales.
Lee advocated for financial independence and sovereignty for the colonies, as evidenced by his introduction of the Westmoreland Resolution in 1766, which opposed the enforcement of the British Stamp Act. This early stance against arbitrary British taxation policies set a precedent for his views on federal taxes as an independent nation.
In his AntiFederalist Paper #36, Lee acknowledged the importance of taxation as a tool for the government to generate revenue. However, he emphasised the potential abuse of power that discretionary taxation could lead to, stating that "a power to lay and collect taxes at discretion [...] may command the whole or any part of the subject's property".
Lee's distrust of a strong central government and his belief in states' rights extended to his views on federal taxes. He feared that centralised taxation could lead to individual states losing their power and autonomy. This concern influenced his opposition to the ratification of the federal Constitution, which he believed created a "consolidated" government.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Richard Henry Lee did not sign the Constitution. He opposed the ratification of the Constitution because he believed it created a "consolidated" government and lacked a bill of rights.
Richard Henry Lee wrote an unpublished pamphlet called "The State of the Constitution of Virginia", which offered advice on tobacco farming and argued for granting tobacco colonies special dispensation from certain British policies.
Richard Henry Lee was an active participant in many key events during the Revolutionary War. He protested the Stamp Act in Virginia, sat on the committee that named George Washington Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, and introduced the motion that led to the Declaration of Independence. He also worked to stop the importation of slaves into the American states.
