I'm sure most of you know that Patrick Henry gave that famous speech at St. Johns Church during the Second Virginia Convention. You may not know that the church is still standing and in use today. During the summer a reenactment of his speech is performed each Sunday and it would make a great Appleseed holiday for a group of us to attend.
Reenactments of the Second Virginia Convention
The Patrick Henry Committee of St. John's Church presents historical reenactments at the original location of the Second Virginia Convention of March 1775. Professional actors in 1770s attire portray ten of the "founding fathers" who participated in the animated convention debates culminating in Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech.
PUBLIC REENACTMENTS
The summer season of public reenactments began during America's Bicentennial and continues to thrill audiences as Richmond's longest running historical performance. These popular performances occur each Sunday in the summer beginning Memorial Day weekend and running through Labor Day weekend. The Anniversary Reenactment is held on the Sunday in March closest to 23 March, the actual date of Henry's speech.
Each reenactment is preceded by a patriotic music program performed on the rare Adam Stein organ. A voluntary donation is collected at the end of each performance. Reenactments last approximately 45 minutes.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
1:00 p.m. Free tickets are distributed at the front door
1:15 p.m. Seating begins
1:30 p.m. Music program
2:00 p.m. Reenactment
PRIVATE REENACTMENTS
Groups may arrange for a private reenactment throughout the year. Performances can be scheduled any day of the week, day or evening. Seating capacity is 325. Please call our Visitor Center at 804-648-5015 or email programs@saintjohns.cc for more information or current pricing.
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I'll post this again in the spring. I hope we can get a group of Appleseed people together for a little history.
VAshooter
I can't remember how many times I've read that speech and it still resonates with power and emotion. Men willing to pledge their lives, fortunes and honor to freedom. Men willing to die for freedom.
The truth is that Patrick Henry's speech makes me feel the same way that I do when JB tells the "Dangerous Old Men" story.
Needless to say - he's always been my favorite.
He could be an abrasive fellow, and he railed against a large Federal government - to the point of thinking most poorly of James Madison.
He worked hard to get the BOR added to the Constitution, which he saw as giving far too much power to the Fed.
Another of his quotes that I have always fancied:
"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined."
While am I not fit to occupy anything more than his shadow, I think he and I would have had some spirited conversations and found much common ground.
I ran for a County board seat, a number of years ago as a write in candidate. My flyer contained this speech. I did not have time to do much door to door, as I had a boat to finish and deliver to CA. None the less, I only lost by 13 votes. AS A WRITE IN!!!!!! Even the republican party noticed, big time. Although, they did not learn anything from it.
People are so hungry for this sort of thing. I really think I could win a Congressional seat, just doing a 7th step speech. Most people just want to hear the truth.
CC
So you guys will all be attending the reenactment next summer?
VAshooter
I've been in the past when a friend played Patrick Henry for the speech at St. John's. It's been several years though. Maybe it's time for a refresher.
I read the last two paragraphs at the shoot in Bennington in August. I definitely got people's attention! That's just such a powerful speech.
This is so very powerful to me every time I read it or hear it. Thank you Virginia Shooter for this post. I attended the Church and watched it performed when I was about 12 years old and can still remember that visit at age 68. I'm way down in SW Virginia at Bristol living with my sister at our family home now and I would be glad to meet any group of Appleseeders in Richmond or along the way to attend the Anniversary Reenactment or one Sunday next Summer (assuming all things are still available to us at that time).
As others have commented regarding many of the historical "refreshers" or tidbits given at the Appleseed shoots, these ACTUALLY do have a very profound impact upon the minds of those attending. I've experienced it and also seen it and discussed it with others. This is one area that makes Appleseed so different from ANY other event anyone ever experiences. Besides learning the skill of expert shooting, the History involved brings the true Spirit of us forward from way down deep in our very souls. That identification with just what went on in the minds of the men and women during the Revolution, the real living sacrifices they had to make just to try and survive from day to day, along with their quest of taking out the enemy who sought to enslave them, is what these HISTORICAL STRIKES give to the participants.
All I want to say is to those of you who have been doing it and are doing it all the time, please regard these times as SACRED times and KNOW that your attitude of it being so, will make it through to those in attendance. Humility is one of the things one gets from these. You forget the present and go back to our very "roots" and those "roots" are really us today having to carry the Flag onward into the battles before us in this day and time. We have to keep the heritage going and the History is the driving force behind it.
One last thing. I feel like I'm trying to preach to the choir and I don't want to do that. What I am trying to convey is the Spirit felt at Appleseed which you all know is something I know that I have felt only a few times in my life. One of those times was at the age of 12 listening to Patrick Henry's words come forth. Also in my visits to other Revolutionary War period historical sites. I went to college my first year in Boston and was able to be taken to many historical places in New England. I was able to walk on the USS Constitution and meet her crew and the historian officer who was an active Navy Lieutenant who was her current Captain. I got to see her be towed up the Charles River to do a 180 degree turn and moved back into her berth (keeps the masts from warping if done every 2 years). I tell you this because these things really can hit us hard when you look backward historically and imagine the realities that the men who were there experienced. So, don't go lightly on the History at an Appleseed. Of course, I'm a history buff, but I know how these kind of things hit people and how these sacred minutes spent doing it gives us all hope in maintaining the heritage and liberty we so callously enjoy in this day and time.
Keep up the good work, all of you instructors. My Kudo's for a super job well done at Appleseed. You are getting the message across, along with teaching us superb marksmanship skills that we can also pass along to others. Of course, some of us will focus more on the history than others, but what makes us do it will be how well we hear it from you guys. So keep it flowing.
tn,
On behalf of all of the instructors, please accept our heartfelt thanks for your kind words. It is the folks like you that keep the fire of Liberty burning so brightly within our hearts.
Feel free to preach to the choir all you like, but don't forget about the rest - preach to them as well!
The love of Liberty is contagious - go out and start an epidemic sir! ;D
Thanks again,
PHenry
PHenry,
Thank you for the kind words too. Yep, we have to take the message out to everyone. They sure are not teaching it much in our schools these days the way they did when I was in school. So, you are so very correct for us to Preach the message of our Heritage and our Liberty everywhere and every time we get the chance.
Many thanks,
Bill
Quote from: TnTimberwright on November 01, 2008, 01:49:16 AM
Yep, we have to take the message out to everyone. They sure are not teaching it much in our schools these days the way they did when I was in school.
You hit the preverbal nail on the head! I have 3 children in school and I am amazed at the BS revisionist history propaganda that is being taught to our children. It is a crying shame that I have to tell them "this is the answer the teacher wants to see on the test and this is what REALLY took place". I STRONGLY encourage them to respectfully speak out in class and share their understanding of our history so others......even the teachers can learn the truth.