State Ratifying Conventions
Ten Thousand Implied Powers: Patrick Henry’s Final Antifederalist Speech
In his last major speech during the Virginia Ratifying Convention, Patrick Henry warned against the potential for “ten thousand implied powers,” and called for a number of amendments prior to ratification. Path to Liberty, Fast Friday Edition: August 11, 2023...
There’s Much More than Just the Federalist Papers
If you want to understand the Constitution – its original, legal meaning – don’t rely exclusively, or even primarily on the Federalist Papers. You’ll want to read other federalists like James Wilson, Tench Coxe and John Dickinson, plus the leading...
Treaties, Trials and Supremacy: Patrick Henry’s Anti-Federalist Speeches 8-10
In a series of speeches during the Virginia Ratifying Convention, Patrick Henry warned against a combination of the treaty, the judicial power and – the supremacy clause – that it would lead to government violating individual liberty with impunity. Path to...
Andrew Coan & David Schwartz: Interpreting Ratification
Andrew Coan (University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law) & David S. Schwartz (University of Wisconsin Law School) have posted Interpreting Ratification (1 J. Am. Con. Hist. 449 (2023)) (90 pages) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: For two centuries,...