# Richard Henry Lee

### Virginia
 
**Who you are:**  
You are a Virginia planter and one of the most eloquent voices in this Congress. You will, in less than a year, introduce the formal resolution for independence. You are a firm patriot and a gifted speaker. You believe the Crown has forfeited any claim to colonial loyalty through its actions.
 
**Your position on the Olive Branch Petition:**  
You are skeptical, but you are willing to support it if it helps build the case for independence in the eyes of Europe. The resolution you will later introduce, under Virginia’s instruction, will also point toward creating foreign alliances and a confederation of states — and you know that appearing reasonable matters diplomatically. 
**Suggested things you might say:**  
- *"I support the petition — not because I believe the King will answer it, but because when he refuses, every court in Europe will know that independence was forced upon us, not chosen out of ambition."*
- *"Virginia stands ready. The question is not whether we fight — it is when, and whether we fight alone or with allies."*
- *"I look at General Washington and I see the answer to this debate. We have already made our choice. The petition is simply good manners before the door closes."*