AMSCO AP United States History Exam 2026 (APUSH) – Period 3 Practice Test with Free APUSH Practice Questions and Study Guide

Patrick Henry argued that colonists should have a voice in their governance, emphasizing the importance of self-representation and challenging the authority of the British Parliament over the American colonies. His famous speech in the House of Burgesses called for resistance against British taxation and laws imposed without direct representation, framing the colonies' growing discontent against perceived tyranny. By advocating this principle, Henry highlighted the colonists' desire for municipal autonomy and political rights, which were essential to the broader revolutionary sentiments developing in the colonies at the time.

This insistence on having a voice in their governance became a foundational idea for the colonists as they moved towards independence, culminating in the argument that they should not be governed or taxed without having representatives in the legislative body imposing such directives. It reflects the fundamental political ideology that would later underpin the creation of the United States government.