He sat quietly in the pew to the left of the altar at St. John’s Anglican Church in Richmond, Virginia. Having been elected to the House of Burgesses from Howard County just nine days earlier, he was hesitant to speak publicly. Especially when seated around him were such distinguished men as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. The delegates were in debate and divided on how to respond to the Stamp Act that had been imposed upon the colonies by England. The Stamp Act was a British law that placed a tax on printed documents in the colonies. As proof of paying the tax, each document had to have an authorized stamp. The debate was centered on compliance or severing the colonies’ relationship with the England.

On Thursday, March 23, 1775, having sat quietly long enough, Pat…