FOR THE PEOPLE FOR THE COUNTRY

In 1799, at the behest of President George Washington, Patrick Henry came out of retirement to defend the Constitution that he had once opposed and to thwart Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, whom Washington accused of putting party over country and threatening the fragile union. For the People, For the Country tells the remarkable story of how the most eloquent public speaker of the American Revolutionary era and a leading antifederalist during debates over ratification of the Constitution reemerged on the side of the federalists and once again changed history.

Much more than a fire-breathing demagogue, the Patrick Henry we encounter here comes to life as a principled leader of the young nation who believed above all in working with a government elected by the people, advocating for political change in "a constitutional way"―at the ballot box. A gripping narrative, this book will change long-held views of this great Founding Father.

John A. Ragosta is a Virginia Humanities fellow, frequent lecturer, and the author, among other works, of Religious Freedom: Jefferson’s Legacy, America’s Creed.