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...