Enlightenment & Revolutions
Patrick Henry
1736–1799 · Anti-federalism
Suspect any constitution that grants power and trusts the men.
In their words
“Give me liberty or give me death!”
Through the Virginia ratifying convention, Henry demanded to know where the new federal government's powers stopped and by what instrument they would be held there. He predicted consolidation, direct taxation and the erosion of every limit, and insisted on written amendments before consent. The federalists won the vote; Henry's objection produced the Bill of Rights that followed.
Why it matters for freedom
He insisted that a government which can reach anything is a government that can take everything.
Who they stood against
the crown's taxes and the constitution he thought would build a new one at home