State Ratifying Conventions
Don’t Give in to Fear: Patrick Henry’s Anti-Federalist Speech No. 3
Responding to Federalist claims that rejecting ratification would lead to danger, chaos and potential ruin, Patrick Henry took the other side, “it is the fortune of a free people not to be intimidated by imaginary dangers” and urged the addition of a bill of rights...
A Federalist Blowout: South Carolina Ratifies the Constitution
May 23, 1788 – South Carolina became the 8th state to ratify the Constitution, easily doing so after just a few short days of debate. But was the federalist victory representative of the people, or were the antifederalists just outmaneuvered? Path to Liberty:...
We the People or We the States: Patrick Henry’s Anti-Federalist Speech No. 1
In his first speech at the Virginia Ratifying Convention, Patrick Henry challenged the legitimacy of the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, warned against consolidation, and argued that a federal system should start with We the States. Path to Liberty, Fast Friday...
Don’t Trust Government: Antifederalist Cato No. 5
In his 5th paper, Cato reiterates the issues he has with the structure of the executive branch, moves on to reject claims that a free people would never let their government devolve into tyranny, and then rips into the structure of Congress. He warns the system will...