Implied vs Expressly Reserved: Patrick Henry’s Anti-Federalist Speeches 5-7
In a series of speeches during the Virginia Ratifying Convention, Patrick Henry warned that despite arguments to the contrary, the federal government wouldnโt act like its powers were only those delegated to it. Instead, it would act like all others before it –...
Forgotten Foundation: Patrick Henry and the Parson’s Cause
At just 27 years of age in 1763, Patrick Henry gained fame as a patriot for arguing that when even a king interfered with local lawmaking, he โdegenerates into a Tyrant, and forfeits all right to his subjectsโ obedience.โ This set the stage for future opposition to...
Anti-Federalist Warnings: Government Power is Forever
During the debates over ratification of the Constitution, Anti-Federalists repeatedly warned about the dangers of too much power. One of their prominent arguments centered around the maxim that once power expands, people with power never seem to voluntarily give it...