Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry, the famous Virginia patriot who argued in favor of American independence from Great Britain by saying, "Give me liberty or give me death!" was not a fan of the U.S. Constitution. He refused appointment to the Constitutional Convention, but he did attend the ratifying convention in Virginia, where his fiery oratory attacked the U.S. Constitution as a threat to individual liberties and states' rights.
Nearly one-third of the debate in the Virginia convention was taken by Patrick Henry's criticisms of the U.S. Constitution. These excerpts come from speeches given by Patrick Henry on Wednesday, June 4; Thursday, June 5; Monday, June 23; and Wednesday, June 25, 1788.
Mr. Chairman, the public mind, as well as my own, is extremely uneasy at the proposed change of government. Give me leave to form one of the number of those who wish to be thoroughly acquainted with the reasons.....
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