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Students attending a lecture on linear algebra at the Helsinki University of Technology

A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term (or its cognate in another language) is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English (or an equivalent in other languages). In its widest use, student is used for anyone who is learning.

International variations[link]

Pupils in rural Sudan, 2002

Over one thousand pupils in uniform during an assembly at a secondary school in Singapore

Asia[link]

Iran[link]

In Iran 12-year school is categorised in three stages: Elementary school, Guiden school and High school. It takes 5 years for a student to graduate from elementary school, 3 years for guiden school and 4 years for high school. After graduating from high school, students acquire a diploma. Having a diploma, a student can participate in the university entrance exam or Konkoor. The university entrance exam is conducted every year by National Organization of Education Assessment, an organization under the supervision of [httthe p://www.msrt.ir Ministry of Science, Research and Technology].

Australia[link]

In Australia, after kindergarten or preschool, which are not compulsory, children begin primary school, usually after the fifth birthday. In New South Wales the first year is called 'kindergarten', and in South Australia 'reception'); students then continue on to 'year one' through to 'year six', except in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland, where primary school continues to 'year seven'. Students begin secondary school (also known as high school) in 'year seven' (or 'year eight' in WA, SA and Qld)and continue to 'year twelve'. Year eight to ten students are sometimes referred to as juniors and year elevens and twelves as seniors. After year twelve, students may pursue tertiary education at university or TAFE (technical and further education). The general term for children in primary and secondary school is 'students', including those in primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

Europe[link]

Finland[link]

In Finland a student is called "opiskelija" (plural being 'opiskelijat'), though children in compulsory education are called "oppilas" (plural being 'oppilaat'). first level of education is "esikoulu" (literally 'preschool'), which is optional. Children attend esikoulu the year they turn six, and next year they start attending "peruskoulu" (literally "basic school", corresponds to American elementary school, middle school and junior high), which is compulsory. Peruskoulu is divided to "ala-aste" (years 1 through 6) and "yläaste" (years 7 through 9). After compulsory education most children attend second level education (toisen asteen koulutus), either lukio (corresponds to high school) or ammattikoulu (usually translated as 'college', literally "profession school"), at which point they are called students (opiskelija). Some attend "kymppiluokka", which is a retake on some yläaste education.

To attend ammattikorkeakoulu ("high profession school", translated as university of applied sciences) or a university a student must have a second level education. The recommended graduation time is five years. First year students are called "fuksi" and students that have studied more than five years are called "N:nnen vuoden opiskelija" (Nth year student).

France[link]

In French, a bleu or "bizuth" is a first-year student. Second-year students are often called "carré" (square). Some other terms may apply in specific schools, some depending on the classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles attended.

Germany[link]

In Germany, the German cognate term "student" is reserved for those attending a university. University students in their first year are colloquially called Erstis ("firsties"). Different terms for school students exist, depending on which kind of school is attended by the student. The general term for a person going to school is Schüler. Students attending a university preparatory school are called Gymnasiasten, while those attending other schools are called Hauptschüler or Realschüler. Students who graduate with the Abitur are called Abiturienten.

Ireland[link]

In Ireland, pupils officially start with national school which consists of three years: junior infants, senior infants and first class (ages 5–7). They then advance to primary school, which consists of second class to sixth class (ages 8–12). After primary school, pupils proceed to the secondary school level. Here they first enter the junior cycle, which consists of first year to third year (ages 13–15). At the end of third year, all students must sit a compulsory state examination called the Junior Certificate. After third year, pupils have the option of taking a "transition year" or fourth year (usually at age 16). In transition year pupils take a break from regular studies to pursue other activities that help to promote their personal, social, vocational and educational development, and to prepares them for their role as autonomous, participative and responsible members of society. It also provides a bridge to enable pupils to make the transition from the more dependent type of learning associated with the Junior Cert. to the more independent learning environment associated with the senior cycle.

After the junior cycle pupils advance to the senior cycle, which consists of fifth year and sixth year (usually ages between 16 to 19). At the end of the sixth year a final state examination is required to be sat by all pupils, known as the Leaving Certificate. The Leaving Cert. is the basis for all Irish pupils who wish to do so to advance to higher education via a points system. A maximum of 600 points can be achieved. All higher education courses have a minimum of points needed for admission.

At university the term "fresher" is used to describe new students who are just beginning their first year.

At Trinity College Dublin under-graduate students are formally called "junior freshmen", "senior freshmen", "junior sophister" or "senior sophister", according to the year they have reached in the typical four year degree course. Sophister is another term for a sophomore, though the term is rarely used in other institutions and is largely limited to Trinity College Dublin. The term, "first year" is the more commonly used and connotation free term for students in their first year. The week at the start of a new year is called "Freshers' Week" or "Welcome Week", with a programme of special events to welcome new students. An undergraduate in the last year of study before graduation is generally known as a "finalist."

Sweden[link]

In Sweden, only those studying at university level are called students (student, plural studenter). To graduate from high school (gymnasium) is called ta studenten (literally "to take the student"), but after the graduation festivities, the graduate is no longer a student unless he or she enrolls at university-level education. At lower levels, the word elev (plural elever) is used. As a general term for all stages of education, the word studerande (plural also studerande) is used, meaning 'studying [person]'.

United Kingdom[link]

In the past, the term "student" was reserved for people studying at university level in the United Kingdom. Children studying at school were called "pupils" or "schoolchildren" (or "schoolboys" or "schoolgirls"). However, the American English use of the word "student" to include pupils of all ages, even at elementary level, is now spreading to other countries, and is found in the UK (particularly in the state sector), as well as Australia and Singapore. In South Africa, the term "learner" is also used.

In England and Wales, teenagers who attend a college or secondary school for further education are typically called "sixth formers". If pupils follow the average pattern of school attendance, pupils will be in "year 12" between the ages of 16 and 17, and "year 13" between 17 and 18, however many schools still refer to them as the "lower sixth" and "upper sixth" or "AS" and "A2". They "go up" to university after the upper sixth.

In Scotland, pupils sit Highers at the end of fifth year (when aged 16–17) after which it is possible for them to gain entry to university. Many pupils, however, choose to remain at school for a sixth year to grow in maturity and to gain extra qualifications (e.g. Advanced Highers).

At universities in the UK, the term "fresher" is used informally to describe new students who are just beginning their first year. Although it is not unusual to call someone a fresher after their first few weeks at university, they are typically referred to as "first years" or "first year students". There is little derogatory connotation to this name in the UK, except for an occasional reference to "freshers" in a tone that implies naivety. More commonly, it will be used in a kindly fashion. For instance, a university official might ask a student if they are a fresher without any hint of a put down.

The ancient Scottish University of St Andrews uses the terms "bejant" for a first year (from the French "bec-jaune" – "yellow beak", "fledgling"). Second years are called "semi-bejants", third years are known as "tertians", and fourth years, or others in their final year of study, are called "magistrands".

In England and Wales, primary school begins with an optional "nursery" year followed by reception (similar to kindergarten) and then move on to "year one, year two" and so on until "year six". In state schools, children join secondary school when they are 11–12 years old in what used to be called "first form" and is now known as "year 7". They go up to year 11 (formerly "fifth form") and then join the sixth form, either at the same school or at a separate sixth form college. A student entering a private, fee-paying school (usually at age 13) would join the "third form" — equivalent to year 9. Many schools have an alternate name for first years, some with a derogatory basis, but in others acting merely as a description — for example "shells" (non-derogatory) or "grubs" (derogatory).

In Northern Ireland and Scotland, it is very similar but with some differences. Pupils start off in nursery or reception aged 3 to 4, and then start primary school in "P1" (P standing for primary) or year 1. They then continue primary school until "P7" or year 7. After that they start secondary school at 11 years old, this is called "1st year" or year 8 in Northern Ireland, or "S1" in Scotland. They continue secondary school until the age of 16 at "5th year", year 12 or "S5", and then it is the choice of the individual pupil to decide to continue in school and (in Northern Ireland) do AS levels (known as "lower sixth") and then the next year to do A levels (known as "upper sixth"). In Scotland, students aged 16–18 take Highers, followed by Advanced Highers. Alternatively, pupils can leave and go into full time employment or to start in a technical collage.

Large increases in the size of student populations in the UK and the effect this has had on some university towns or on areas of cities located near universities have become a concern in the UK since 2000. A report by Universities UK, "Studentification: A Guide to Opportunities, Challenges and Practice" (2006) has explored the subject and made various recommendations.^[1] A particular problem in many locations is seen as the impact of students on the availability, quality and price of rented and owner-occupied property.

North America[link]

Canada[link]

Education in Canada is within the constitutional jurisdiction of the provinces, and the overall curriculum is overseen by the provincial governments. As there is no overall national coordinating authority, the way the educational stages are grouped and named differs from region to region. Education is generally divided into primary education, followed by secondary education, and post-secondary education. Primary and secondary education are generally divided into numbered grades from 1 to 12, although the first grade may be preceded by kindergarten (optional in many provinces). Ontario and Quebec offer a pre-kindergarten, called a "junior kindergarten" in Ontario, and a "garderie" in Quebec.

Education in Ontario once involved an Ontario Academic Credit (OAC) as university preparation, but that was phased out in 2007, and now all provinces except Quebec have 12 grades. The OAC was informally known as "grade 13" and the name was also used to refer to the students who took it.

Education in Quebec differs from the other provinces in that it has an école primaire (literally "primary school") consisting of grades 1-6, and an école secondaire (literally "secondary school") consisting of secondaries I-V. Secondaries I-V are equivalent to grades 7-11, and secondary V (grade 11) may be followed by two years of a pre-university called a CEGEP. In some English High Schools, as well as in most French schools, high school students will refer to secondary 1-5 as year one through five. So if someone in Secondary three is asked "what grade/year are you in?" they will reply "three" or "sec 3". It is presumed that the person asking the question knows that they are not referring to "Grade 3" but rather "Secondary 3". This can be confusing for those outside of Quebec

In some provinces, grades 1 through 6 are called "elementary school", grades 6 through 8 are called "middle school" or "junior high school", and grades 9 through 12 are considered high school. Other provinces, such as British Columbia, mainly divide schooling into elementary school (Kindergarten to grade 7) and secondary school (grades 8 through 12). In Alberta, elementary consists of kindergarten through grade 6. Junior high consists of Grades 7-9. High school consists of Grades 10-12. In English provinces, the high school (known as academy or secondary school) years can be referred to simply as first, second, third, and fourth year. Some areas call it by grade such as grade 10, grade 11, and grade 12.

The difference between college and university is significantly different than in the United States or even the United Kingdom. A Canadian college is more similar to an American community college. In contrast, a Canadian university is comparable to an American university. In Canada, colleges are generally geared for individuals seeking applied careers, while universities are geared for individuals seeking more academic careers.

University students are generally classified as first, second, third, or fourth-year students, and the American system of classify them as "freshmen", "sophomores", "juniors", and "seniors" is seldom used or even understood in Canada. In some occasions, they can be called "senior ones", "twos", "threes", and "fours".

United States[link]

Students inside a classroom at a college (Miami Dade College in the United States).

In the United States, the first official year of schooling is called kindergarten, which is why the students are called kindergarteners. Kindergarten is optional in most states, but few students skip this level. Pre-kindergarten, also known as "preschool" is becoming a standard of education as academic expectations for the youngest students continue to rise. Many public schools offer pre-kindergarten programs.

In the United States there are 12 years of mandatory schooling. The first eight are solely referred to by numbers (e.g. 1st grade, 5th grade) so students may be referred to as 1st graders, 5th graders, etc. Upon entering high school, grades 9 through 12 (high school) also have alternate names for students, namely Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior. Accordingly, college students are often called Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors (respectively), unless their undergraduate program calls for more than the traditional 4 years.

First year[link]

The first year of college or high school is referred to as Freshman year. A freshman (slang alternatives that are usually derogatory in nature include "fish", "new-g", "fresher", "frosh", "newbie", "freshie", "snotter", "fresh-meat", "skippie", etc.) is a first-year student in college, university or high school. The less-common^{[citation needed]} gender-neutral synonym "first-year student" exists. In many traditions there is a remainder of the ancient (boarding, pre-commuting) tradition of fagging. The student may also be subjected to a period of hazing or ragging as a pledge(r) or rookie, especially if joinin a fraternity/sorority or certain other clubs, mainly athletic teams. For example, many high schools have initiation methods for freshmen, including, but not limited to, Freshman Duct-taped Throw, Freshman races, Freshman Orientation, Freshman Freshening (referring to poor hygiene among freshmen), and the Freshman Spread.

Even after that, specific rules may apply depending on the school's traditions (e.g., wearing a distinctive beanie), non-observance of which may result in punishment in which the paddle may come into play.

Second year[link]

In the U.S., a sophomore, also called a "soph," is a second-year student. Outside the USA the term Sophomore is rarely used, with second-year students simply called "second years". Folk etymology indicates that the word means "wise fool"; consequently "sophomoric" means "pretentious, bombastic, inflated in style or manner; immature, crude, superficial" (according to the Oxford English Dictionary). It is widely assumed to be formed from Greek "sophos", meaning "wise", and "moros" meaning "foolish", although the etymology suggests an origin from the now-defunct "sophumer", an obsolete variant of "sophism".^[2]

Post-second year[link]

In the USA, a Junior is a student in the penultimate (usually third) year and a Senior is a student in the last (usually fourth) year of college, university, or high school. A student who takes more than the normal number of years to graduate is sometimes referred to as a "super senior".^[3] This term is often used in college, but can be used in high school as well. The term Underclassman is used to refer collectively to Freshmen and Sophomores, and Upperclassman to refer collectively to Juniors and Seniors, sometimes even Sophomores. The term Middler is used to describe a third-year student of a school (generally college) that offers five years of study. In this situation, the fourth and fifth years would be referred to as Junior and Senior years, respectively, and the first two years would be the Freshman and Sophomore years.

Graduate Students[link]

According to the Oxford English dictionary a graduate is, “admitted to or holding a university degree. ‘the graduate members of the university’.”^[4] A Graduate student is a student who continues their education after graduation. They are students according to the definition at the top of the page that states a student is a learner or someone who attends an educational institution. Some examples of graduate programs are: law school, medical school, veterinary school. Degrees earned in Graduate programs are the Master’s degree or a Doctorate degree.

A Master’s degree usually consists of an additional two years of studying after earning a Bachelor’s degree.^[5] The program usually includes a research thesis in the area of study that an individual is pursuing. A Graduate degree can advance in your current field of study or a Master’s degree could be used to gain knowledge in a different area of study.

A Doctorate degree is usually earned after four additional years of study after you earn your Bachelor’s degree. A Doctorate degree is available in any field of study. If a Master’s degree has been acquired, the Doctorate program could be completed in less than four years.^[6] Most careers do not require a completed Doctorate.

Vocational School[link]

A Vocational school is used for training in a field that is unavailable at a 4 year University. A student attending vocational school focuses on their job and learning how to work in their fields such as an auto mechanic.^[7] A Vocational program takes much less time to complete than a four-year University. A typical program lasts 12–24 months to complete.^[8] Liberal Arts that are required in four-year Universities are less important to these students because the skills necessary for their careers take precedence in order for a timely completion of the program.

Jamaica[link]

In Jamaica, children usually start attending school at the age of two, where they would go to what is known as basic school or kindergarten. They would then move on to the primary or preparatory school at about the age of five or six usually. After six years at this level, students would move on to the secondary school level. After five years of education at this level, some students finish (fifth form or 11th grade) and graduate at sixteen years old. Some move on to the tertiary level, while some may choose to attend 6th form (12th and 13th grade) then move on to university or college or straight into the working world.^{[citation needed]}

Mature students[link]

A mature, non-traditional, or adult student in tertiary education (at a university or a college) is normally classified as an (undergraduate) student who is at least 21–23 years old at the start of their course and usually having been out of the education system for at least two years. Mature students can also include students who have been out of the education system for decades, or students with no secondary education. Mature students also make up graduate and postgraduate populations by demographic of age.

Student pranks[link]

University students have been associated with pranks and japes since the creation of universities in the Middle Ages.^{[9][10][11][12][13]} These can often involve petty crime, such as the theft of traffic cones and other public property,^[14] or hoaxes. It is also not uncommon for students from one school to steal or deface the mascot of a rival school.^[15] In fact, pranks play such a significant part in student culture that numerous books have been published that focus on the issue.^[16][17] Pranks may reflect current events,^[18] be a form of protest or revenge, or have no other purpose than for the enjoyment of the prank itself.

Other terms[link]

• Students who are repeating a grade level of schooling due to poor grades are sometimes referred to as having been "held back" or "kept back". In Singapore they are described as "retained". In the Philippines they are called "repeater".

• The term 'pupil' (originally a Latin term for a minor as the ward of an adult guardian, etc.) is used in some Commonwealth primary and secondary schools (particularly in England and Wales) instead of "student", but once attending higher education such as sixth-form college, etc., the term "student" is standard.

• The United States military academies officially use only numerical terms, but there are colloquial expressions used in everyday speech. In order from first year to fourth year, students are referred to as "fourth-class", "third-class", "second-class", and "first-class" cadets or midshipmen. Unofficially, other terms are used, for example at the United States Military Academy, freshmen are called "plebes", sophomores are called "yearlings" or "yuks", juniors are called "cows", and seniors are called "firsties". Some universities also use numerical terms to identify classes; students enter as "first-years" and graduate as "fourth-years" (or, in some cases, "fifth-years", "sixth-years", etc.).

• In the United States, a "gunner" is a term for a hyper competitive student. The term usually references a legal, medical or dental student. Gunners will do whatever it takes to be the best. This ranges from working very hard to sabotaging peers.^{[citation needed]} The gunners are normally either concerned with getting into a professional school or excelling in the professional school to continue on to a specialty.

Idiomatic use[link]

"Freshman" and "sophomore" are sometimes used figuratively, almost exclusively in the United States, to refer to a first or second effort ("the singer's sophomore album"), or to a politician's first or second term in office ("freshman senator") or an athlete's first or second year on a professional sports team. "Junior" and "senior" are not used in this figurative way to refer to third and fourth years or efforts, because of those words' broader meanings of "younger" and "older." A junior senator is therefore not one who is in a third term of office, but merely one who has not been in the Senate as long as the other senator from their state. Confusingly, this means that it is possible to be both a "freshman Senator" and a "senior Senator" simultaneously: for example, if a Senator wins election in 2008, and then the other Senator from the same state steps down and a new Senator elected in 2010, the former Senator is both senior Senator (as in the Senate for two years more) and a freshman Senator (since still in the first term).

See also[link]

Find more about student on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

• Student accommodation
• Student activism
• Student bullying
• Students bullying teachers
• Teachers bullying students
• Bullying in academia
• Freshman fifteen
• International student
• Student orientation
• Sophomore
• Student resources
  • Guidance Counseling
  • Student financial aid
  • Study skills
  • Tutoring
• Studentification
• University student retention

References[link]

Thomas Peter "Tom" Shadyac (born December 11, 1958) is an American comedian, director, screenwriter, and producer. Shadyac, who was the youngest joke-writer ever for comedian Bob Hope,^[1] is widely known for writing and directing the films Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Nutty Professor, Liar Liar, Bruce Almighty, and I Am. He is an adjunct professor of communication and teaches screenwriting at Pepperdine University's Seaver College.^[1]

Background and personal life[link]

Shadyac was born in Falls Church, Virginia, to Julie and Richard Shadyac, a lawyer.^[2] His mother was Lebanese and his father was of half-Irish descent.^[3] His mother, Julie, who died of cancer in 1998, had become semi-quadriplegic and spent much of Shadyac's adult life in a wheelchair.^[1]

Shadyac graduated from J. E. B. Stuart High School in Falls Church, Virginia, in 1976 where he had played basketball, participated in the Key Club and made the Junior National and National Honor Societies. In both 1975 and 1976 Tom was included in Who's Who Among High School Students.

His older brother, Richard, was an attorney and is currently CEO of St. Jude's Children's Hospital fund-raising arm, ALSAC.

As a pre-law student at the University of Virginia, Shadyac produced a poster entitled "Are You a Preppie?" Borrowing from the style of National Lampoon and from the fact that preppies were in strong supply in Charlottesville and nearby Richmond, Virginia, the poster preceded the more famous The Official Preppy Handbook. The poster went into multiple printings and served as a fund-raiser for his fraternity, Sigma Chi.

He graduated from UVA in 1981, and later from UCLA Film School.

Shadyac married actress Jennifer Barker in June 1997; they subsequently divorced.^[4]

In 2007 Shadyac suffered post-concussion syndrome after a bicycle accident in Virginia,^[5] experiencing months of acute headaches and hyper-sensitivity to light and noise. The injury followed the cumulative effects of previous mild head injuries Shadyac had suffered surfing, mountain biking and playing basketball.^[5] He subsequently gave away his excess fortune (e.g., opening a homeless shelter in Charlottesville, Virginia^[4] and making a key donation to Telluride, Colorado's effort to set aside a natural area at the town's entrance), reoriented and simplified his life, sold his 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m²) Los Angeles mansion^[5] and moved into a trailer park – albeit the exclusive Paradise Cove park in Malibu.^[6]

He later began work on the documentary I Am – which explores his personal journey, "the nature of humanity"^[4] and "world's ever-growing addiction to materialism."^[5]

Career[link]

Shadyac moved to Los Angeles in 1983 and, at age 24, become the youngest staff joke writer ever for comedian Bob Hope. His father, Richard C. Shadyac, Sr., a Washington D.C. attorney, was a long time friend of comedian, actor and TV producer Danny Thomas. Thomas's charity and lifelong efforts were aimed at the founding and development of St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. The elder Shadyac served in many capacities relative to the hospital and served as CEO of St. Jude's fundraising arm, ALSAC, from 1992 to present.

Tom Shadyac had a brief acting career, appearing in an episode of Magnum, P.I. and in the 1987 film, Jocks. Also received his master's degree in film from UCLA in 1989 after completing the critically acclaimed short Tom, Dick and Harry. Subsequently he worked on movies-of-the-week, rewrote and directed for Fox. His hit films with Carrey include Bruce Almighty, Liar Liar, and the Ace Ventura: Pet Detective movie series. He collaborated with Eddie Murphy to write The Nutty Professor movie series. He directed Patch Adams starring Robin Williams and Dragonfly with Kevin Costner. He was also the executive producer to the ABC TV series 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.

He recently directed Evan Almighty, the sequel to Bruce Almighty. In October 2006, at a Virginia Film Festival event,^[7] he conceded that Evan Almighty would end up being the most expensive comedy ever made.

He frequently casts Jim Carrey in lead roles, often collaborates with Steve Oedekerk in working on a film and hires Don Zimmerman as the editor. Former boxer Randall "Tex" Cobb made a cameo in two of Shadyac's movies, Cobb played the "gruff man" in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and he made another cameo in Liar Liar as the bald man who offers Fletcher his jacket back in the opening scene. Steve Carell has also starred in two of Shadyac's films, Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty. Tom Shadyac's production company for films is Shady Acres Entertainment.

In his most recent film, the documentary I Am, Shadyac interviews scientists, religious leaders, environmentalists and philosophers – including Desmond Tutu, Noam Chomsky, Lynne McTaggart, Elisabet Sahtouris, Howard Zinn, and Thom Hartmann. The film asks two central questions^[8]: What’s Wrong With the World? and What Can We Do About it?. It is about "human connectedness, happiness, and the human spirit."^[1] The film received a twenty minute standing ovation at its first screening.^[4]

Filmography[link]

Year	Film	Director	Producer	Writer	Actor	Role	Notes
1984	Magnum, P.I.				N	Danny (Student)	TV Show
1987	Jocks				N	Chris
1994	Ace Ventura: Pet Detective	N		N
1996	The Nutty Professor	N		N
1997	Liar Liar	N
1999	Patch Adams	N
2000	Nutty Professor II: The Klumps		N
2002	Dragonfly	N
2003	Bruce Almighty	N	N
2006	Accepted		N
2007	I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry		N
	Evan Almighty	N	N
2010	Finding Kind		N				[9]
2011	Happy		N				[10]
	I Am	N			N	Himself	[11]
2012	Full Scale				N	T.B.A	[12]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tom Shadyac at the Internet Movie Database
• From Ace to the Almighty Christianity Today Movies article
• Make 'Em Laugh Christianity Today Movies article

Patrick Henry
1st & 6th Governor of Virginia
In office July 5, 1776 – June 1, 1779
Preceded by	Edmund Pendleton (Acting)
Succeeded by	Thomas Jefferson
In office December 1, 1784 – December 1, 1786
Preceded by	Benjamin Harrison V
Succeeded by	Edmund Randolph
Personal details
Born	May 29, 1736 Hanover County, Virginia
Died	June 6, 1799(1799-06-06) (aged 63) Brookneal, Virginia
Political party	Anti-Federalist Anti-Administration Federalist
Spouse(s)	Sarah Shelton Dorothea Dandridge
Profession	Planter Lawyer
Signature

Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 – June 6, 1799) was an attorney, planter and politician who became known as an orator during the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia, from 1776 to 1779 and from 1784 to 1786.

Henry led the opposition to the Stamp Act of 1765 and is remembered for his "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!" speech. Along with Samuel Adams and Thomas Paine, he is remembered as one of the most influential exponents of Republicanism, promoters of the American Revolution and independence, especially in his defense of historic rights. With his first marriage, he became a landowner and slaveholder, and later owned thousands of acres of land in Virginia.

After the Revolution, Henry was a leader of the anti-federalists in Virginia. He opposed the United States Constitution, fearing that it endangered the rights of the States as well as the freedoms of individuals; he helped gain adoption of the Bill of Rights. By 1798 however, he supported President John Adams and the Federalists; he denounced passage of the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions as he feared the social unrest and widespread executions that had followed the increasing radicalism of the French Revolution.

With his cousin and her husband, by 1779 he owned a 10,000-acre (40 km²) plantation known as Leatherwood, where he owned 78 slaves and his cousin owned at least that many. In 1794 he and his wife retired to Red Hill Plantation, which had 520-acre (2.1 km²) in Charlotte County. It was also a working tobacco plantation.

Early years[link]

Henry was born in Studley, Hanover County, Virginia on May 29, 1736.^[1] His father was John Henry, an immigrant from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, who had attended King's College, Aberdeen before emigrating to the Colony of Virginia in the 1720s.^[2] Settling in Hanover County, in about 1732 John Henry married Sarah Winston Syme, a wealthy widow from a prominent Hanover County family of English ancestry.^[3] Patrick Henry was once thought to have been of humble origins, but he was born into the middle ranks of the Virginia landed gentry.^[1]

Henry attended local schools for a few years, and then was tutored by his father. He tried to start in business but was not successful.

Marriage and family[link]

View of Rural Plains near Totopotomoy Creek in Virginia. Henry was reportedly married to Sarah Shelton in the parlor.

In 1754 Henry married Sarah Shelton, reportedly in the parlor of her family house, Rural Plains. (It also became known as Shelton House.)

As a wedding gift, her father gave the couple six slaves and the 300-acre (1.2 km²) Pine Slash Farm near Mechanicsville. With his marriage, he became a slaveholder and landowner. Henry worked with his slaves on the land because it was a small property; it was exhausted from tobacco cultivation and he could not gain profitable yields. After the main house burned, the couple moved for a short time with their two children into the 20 by 60 foot Honeymoon Cottage, a one-story building with attic. They later moved to the Hanover Tavern, owned by Sarah's father. They sold Pine Slash Plantation in 1764, after Henry started working as a lawyer.^[4]

The Henrys had six children together. In 1771 the family moved to Scotchtown Plantation, also in Hanover County. Sarah became mentally ill and died there in 1775. (See below.)

On October 25, 1777, Henry at age 41 married his second wife, the 22-year-old Dorothea Dandridge (1755–1831). The next year they moved to Williamsburg after his election as governor and stayed through his two terms. They had eleven children together. In 1779 they moved to the 10,000-acre (40 km²) Leatherwood Plantation, which he bought with his cousin and her husband in Henry County, Virginia. He had definitely arrived in the elite planter class of the slave society.

Career[link]

Henry began a career as a planter, but the soil was poor and their main house was destroyed by fire in 1757.^[1] He tried a mercantile store, but it failed. While reading for the law, he continued to farm at Pine Slash Plantation before qualifying as a lawyer in 1760. He read the law with an established firm.^[1]

Henry first gained local attention in a case dubbed the "Parson's Cause" (1763). It dealt with whether the price of tobacco paid to established clergy for their services, should be set by the colonial government or by the Crown. After the British Parliament overruled Virginia's Two Penny Act, which had limited the established clergy's salaries, the Reverend James Maury filed suit against the vestry of Louisa County for payment of back wages. When Maury won the suit, a jury was called in Hanover County to determine how much Maury should be paid. Henry was brought in at the last minute to argue on behalf of Louisa County.

He delivered an impassioned speech that denounced clerics who challenged Virginia's laws as "enemies of the community" and any king who annulled good laws, such as the Two Penny Act, as a "tyrant" who "forfeits all right to his subject's obedience".^[5] Henry urged the jury to make an example of Maury. After less than five minutes of deliberation, they awarded Maury one penny.^[6] The Hanover County Courthouse, where Patrick Henry argued the case, is used as an active courthouse. Located along historic U.S. Route 301, the courthouse is adjacent to Hanover Tavern (rebuilt in 1791 after burning) where Patrick Henry lodged while on the case. The courthouse is the third oldest courthouse still in use in the United States.

Stamp Act[link]

In 1765 Henry was elected from Louisa County for the House of Burgesses, the legislative body of the Virginia colony, to fill a vacated seat in the assembly. When he arrived in Williamsburg, the legislature was already in session. Nine days after being sworn in, Henry introduced the Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions, "in language so extreme that some Virginians said it smacked of treason".^[7]

Patrick Henry's "Treason" speech before the House of Burgesses in an 1851 painting by Peter F. Rothermel

The new representative waited for an opportunity when the more conservative members of the House were away. As 24% attendance was considered sufficient for a quorum, Henry succeeded, through much debate, in getting his proposal passed.

It was possibly the most anti-British American political action to that point, and some credit the Resolutions with being one of the main catalysts of the Revolution.^{[citation needed]} The proposals were based on principles that were well-established British rights, such as the right to be taxed by one's own representatives. They asserted that the colonial assemblies had the exclusive right to impose taxes on the colonies and could not assign that right.

Many colonists considered his following words inflammatory: "Caesar had his Brutus; Charles the First his Cromwell; and George the Third ....may he profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it!" According to the biographer Richard Beeman, the legend of this speech grew more dramatic over the years. He thinks that Henry probably did not say, "If this be treason, make the most of it."^{[citation needed]} The only account of the speech written down at the time by an eyewitness (which came to light many years later) records that Henry apologized after being accused of uttering treasonable words, and assured the House that he was loyal to the king.^{[citation needed]} Henry's speech was radical enough to gain notice at the time and has achieved mythic status since, even if his exact words are unknown.

Sarah's illness[link]

In 1771 Henry and his wife Sarah moved into their Scotchtown plantation in Hanover County, along with their children: Martha ("Patsy"), Anne, Elizabeth ("Betsy"), John, William, and Edmund ("Neddy"). Sarah "started to manifest disturbing behaviors which could not at that time be diagnosed or treated. ...her mental condition deteriorated rapidly, and when she became dangerous to herself and others, she was clothed in a 'Quaker shirt,' an early form of strait jacket."^[8]

Following the general practice of the time, Henry's friends and his physician, Dr. Thomas Hinde, recommended she be moved to the public hospital in Williamsburg. But, after inspecting the facilities, Henry

"saw that if he agreed, his wife would be locked into a windowless brick cell containing only a filthy mattress on the floor and a chamber pot. There she would be chained to the wall with a leg iron. Appalled by what he saw, he instead prepared a private, two-room apartment for her in the basement of Scotchtown. Each room had a window, providing light, air circulation, and a pleasant view of the grounds. The apartment also had a fireplace, which provided good heat in the winter, and a comfortable bed to sleep in."^[8]

Henry (or a domestic slave when he was away on business) took care of Sarah and "watched over her, fed her, bathed her, clothed her, and prevented her from harming herself."^[8] Sarah died in the spring of 1775.

"Because of her illness-then thought to have been caused by being 'possessed by the devil' – she was denied a religious funeral service or a Christian burial. Her grieving husband, 'bowed down and bleeding under the heaviest sorrows and personal distresses,' buried her thirty feet from the home they shared and planted a lilac tree next to her grave to remember her. The tree still stands there, a few steps from the door to her basement."^[8]

Scotchtown is a National Historic Landmark.

American Revolution[link]

Responding to pleas from Massachusetts that the colonies create committees of correspondence to coordinate their activities related to the British. Henry took the lead in Virginia. In March 1773, along with Thomas Jefferson and Richard Henry Lee, Henry led the Virginia House of Burgesses to adopt resolutions providing for a standing committee of correspondence. Each colony set up such committees, and they led to the formation of the First Continental Congress in 1774, to which Henry was elected.

A Hue & Cry, Virginia broadside, 1775

Patrick Henry is best known for the speech he made in the House of Burgesses on March 23, 1775, in Saint John's Church in Richmond, Virginia. With the House undecided on whether to mobilize for military action against the encroaching British military force, Henry argued in favor of mobilization. Forty-two years later, Henry's first biographer, William Wirt, working from oral histories, tried to reconstruct what Henry said. According to Wirt, Henry ended his speech with words that have since become immortalized:

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, Give me Liberty, or give me Death!"

The crowd, by Wirt's account, jumped up and shouted "To Arms! To Arms!". For 160 years Wirt's account was taken at face value. In the 1970s, historians began to question the authenticity of Wirt's reconstruction.^[9] Contemprorary historians observe that Henry was known to have used fear of Indian and slave revolts in promoting military action against the British and that, according to the only written first-hand account of the speech, Henry used some graphic name-calling that Wirt did not include in his heroic rendition.^[10]

In August 1775, Henry was commissioned as colonel of the 1st Virginia Regiment. At the outset of the Revolutionary War, Henry led militia against the Royal Governor Lord Dunmore in defense of some disputed gunpowder, an event known as the Gunpowder Incident.

Henry and others were also building institutions: in early November 1775 he and the young attorney James Madison were elected as founding trustees of Hampden-Sydney College, which opened for classes on November 10. Henry continued as a trustee until his death in 1799. As a representative in the state legislature beginning in 1780, Henry was instrumental in 1783 in achieving passage of the College's Charter, which had been delayed by the war. He is probably the author of the Oath of Loyalty to the new Republic included in that charter. Seven of his sons would attend the new college; six graduated.

In 1776 Henry was elected by the new state legislature as the first post-colonial Governor of Virginia, for a one-year term. He was twice re-elected, serving until 1779. (The new state limited governors to three terms in succession, and then required a 4-year break.) As governor, he presided over several Virginia militia expeditions against the Cherokee people in the west, who were allied with the British. He appointed his friend Joseph Martin, an explorer, as state agent to the Cherokee nation. Henry also sometimes invested in real estate with Martin. The explorer was the namesake of Martin, the county seat of Henry County.

Boulder and plaque marking former location of Leatherwood Plantation in Henry County, Virginia

In 1779, Henry and his family moved to the 10,000-acre (40 km²) Leatherwood Plantation in Henry County, Virginia. He and his first cousin Ann Winston Carr and her husband Col. George Waller jointly owned the immense property.^[11] His eldest daughter Martha and her husband John Fontaine also lived with them on the plantation. Henry lived at Leatherwood from 1779 to 1784; he owned 75 slaves and cultivated tobacco.^[12] In 1782, according to the tax list, Henry owned 64 slaves, his son-in-law John Fontaine owned 18 (he and Henry's daughter were living there as well), and his cousin's husband George Waller also owned 18 slaves, making 100 total among the three men.^[13]

From 1780 to 1784, he served in the Virginia Assembly. After he was elected as governor a second time and went to Richmond, his oldest daughter Martha and her husband John managed the Henry family portion of the large Leatherwood Plantation. John died in 1792 and Martha managed it until 1818.

After the Revolution[link]

In 1784, Henry was elected again for a one-year term by the legislature as governor of Virginia, and re-elected twice more, serving until 1786. He declined to attend the Constitutional Convention of 1787, saying that he "smelt a rat in Philadelphia, tending toward the monarchy."^{[citation needed]} An ardent supporter of state rights, Henry was an outspoken critic of the United States Constitution. He worried that the untested office of the presidency could devolve into a monarchy and became a leading opponent of James Madison.

Henry served as a representative to the Virginia convention of 1788, where he argued against ratifying the U.S. Constitution, on the grounds that it gave too much power to the federal government. It passed. He was instrumental in having the Bill of Rights adopted to amend the new Constitution and protect individual rights.^[14] He was chosen as a presidential elector for the 1789 election from Campbell District, along with nine other men.^[15] That District consisted of Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Pittsylvania, and Prince Edward counties, covering the area between Danville and Lynchburg in the south of Virginia.^[16] The men all voted for Washington with one of their votes, and split their second votes among other candidates.^[15]

In 1794 Henry and his wife Dorothy retired to his 520-acre plantation of Red Hill near Brookneal, Virginia in Charlotte County, where he conducted his law practice. President George Washington offered Henry the post of Secretary of State in 1795, which he declined due to opposing the president's Federalist policies. But, following the widespread executions and radicalism of the continuing French Revolution, Henry began to fear a similar fate could befall America, which had suffered populist unrest. In 1798 he spoke in behalf of the Federalist Party.^[17]

Henry supported the Federalist policies of Washington and Adams. He denounced the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, which called for the rights of a state to nullify a federal law it considered unconstitutional. Henry warned that civil war was threatened because Virginia,

"had quit the sphere in which she had been placed by the Constitution, and, in daring to pronounce upon the validity of federal laws, had gone out of her jurisdiction in a manner not warranted by any authority, and in the highest degree alarming to every considerate man; that such opposition, on the part of Virginia, to the acts of the general government, must beget their enforcement by military power; that this would probably produce civil war, civil war foreign alliances, and that foreign alliances must necessarily end in subjugation to the powers called in."^[18]

In 1798 President John Adams nominated Henry as special emissary to France, but he declined due to failing health. He strongly supported John Marshall. At the urging of Washington, Henry stood for and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates as a Federalist.^[19] Three months prior to taking his seat, he died of stomach cancer on June 6, 1799, while at Red Hill, his plantation.^[20]

Some time following his death, his widow Dorothy married Judge Edmund Winston, Henry's first cousin and the executor of his estate.^[20]

Honored on US postage[link]

Patrick Henry issue of 1955

Credo Issue of 1961

Patrick Henry is prominent among the few people in early American history other than American Presidents to have been honored on US postage stamps.

• On October 7, 1955, the US Post Office issued a 1-dollar postage stamp honoring the famous orator and long time Governor of Virginia. It was one in a series of twenty seven stamps in the Liberty issue. A painting of Henry by American artist Alonzo Chappel (1828–1887) was used as the inspiration and as the model by the engraver for this issue.^[21][22]
• In 1960, the US Post Office issued the CREDO Issue, a series of six stamps with famous quotes engraved on the face of each one. Patrick Henry's most famous words are inscribed on the front of this 4-cent issue, first released in Richmond, Virginia, on January 11, 1961.^[22][23] – See also: US Presidents on US postage stamps

Monuments and memorials[link]

Red Hill Plantation, Charlotte County, Virginia, circa 1907

Several sites associated with Henry's life have been honored. Scotchtown Plantation is a National Historic Landmark. Monuments are located at his retirement home and grave site, designated the Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial.

Places named in honor of Patrick Henry date from the early years of the United States, including Henry County, Virginia, Henry County, Kentucky, Patrick County, Virginia, Henry County, Georgia, Henry County, Ohio, Henry County, Tennessee, Henry County, Alabama, Henry County, Illinois, and Henry County, Missouri after an 1841 name change. Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg, Germany is also named for him.

Henry helped to establish Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. It is the 10th-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Six of his sons graduated from this college. He was made an honorary member of the college's literary society, and the Patrick Henry Scholars are named for him.

A variety of schools, ships, and other institutions named after him, including jurisdictions. Named in his honor are Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia, eight high schools (including three in Virginia, more than for any other person in the Commonwealth), Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia; and Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia. The Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial donated some property for the nearby Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Plantation, a private, Christian residential facility for at-risk youth.

At least three ships have been named in Henry's honor: the Civil War Confederate Navy steamboat CSS Patrick Henry, the first World War II Liberty ship launched, SS Patrick Henry, and ballistic missile submarine USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599).

Fort Patrick Henry was built during the American Revolutionary War along the South Fork Holston River at the present-day site of Kingsport, Tennessee. This fort serves as the namesake of Fort Patrick Henry Dam and its reservoir on the river.^[24]

Camp Patrick Henry, a 1,700-acre (6.9 km²) complex in Newport News, Virginia, was a United States Army base from late 1942 to the late 1960s. Since decommissioned, it is the site of the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport on 925 acres (3.74 km²). When opened in 1949, the airport was first called Patrick Henry Field. The airport code is still PHF.

See also[link]

• Founding Fathers of the United States
• American Revolution
• History of Virginia
• Parson's Cause
• U.S. Constitution, ratification debates

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Beeman, Richard R. (1974). Patrick Henry: A Biography. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-004280-2. 
• Jewett, Thomas. "Patrick Henry: America's Radical Dissenter" Early America Review Summer/Fall 2004
• Kidd, Thomas S. Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots (2011)
• Mayer, Henry (2001). Son of Thunder: Patrick Henry and the American Republic. New York: Grove Press. 
• Meade, Robert D. (1957–1969). Patrick Henry: 2 volumes. 
• Raphael, Ray (2004). Founding Myths: Stories that Hide Our Patriotic Past. New York: The New Press. ISBN 1-56584-921-3. 
• Unger, Harlow (2010). www.harlowgilesunger.com Lion of Liberty: Patrick Henry and the Call To a New Nation. Cambridge: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-81886-8. http://www.harlowgilesunger.com www.harlowgilesunger.com. 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Patrick Henry

Wikisource has original works written by or about: Patrick Henry

• Henry's Early Life and Times from Patrick Henry National Memorial
• Patrick Henry, Voice of the American Revolution, patrickhenry.com
• Works by Patrick Henry at Project Gutenberg
• Text of 1775 "Liberty or death" speech
• Address opposing US Constitution
• Patrick Henry at Find-A-Grave
• Patrick Henry Letters
• Patrick Henry Monument, Henry County, Virginia, virginia.org
• "Scotchtown". http://www.apva.org/scotchtown/.  "Scotchtown". http://www.co.hanover.va.us/pio/historic/031209f.htm.  Scotchtown Plantation, Henry family home from 1771–1778

Archival Records

• A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Patrick Henry, 1784–1786 at The Library of Virginia

v t e Governors of Virginia Henry Jefferson Fleming Nelson Harrison Henry E. Randolph B. Randolph H. Lee Brooke Wood Monroe Page Cabell Tyler Sr. G. Smith Monroe G. Smith P. Randolph Barbour Nicholas Preston T. Randolph Pleasants Tyler Jr. Giles J. Floyd Tazewell Robertson Campbell Gilmer Patton Rutherfoord Gregory McDowell W. "EB" Smith J.B. Floyd Johnson Wise Letcher W. "EB" Smith Pierpont Wells Walker Kemper Holliday Cameron F. Lee McKinney O'Ferrall J.H. Tyler Montague Swanson Mann Stuart Davis Trinkle Byrd Pollard Peery Price Darden Tuck Battle Stanley Almond A. Harrison Godwin Holton Godwin Dalton Robb Baliles Wilder Allen Gilmore Warner Kaine McDonnell