Not everyone was as pleased as Franklin with the results. Patrick Henry felt vindicated, or proven right. He had predicted a move toward a stronger national government, and the delegates had certainly done that. He was angry after reading only the first three words of the Constitution. "We the People," it read. It should read, "We the states," Henry argued, believing this proved the delegates desired to submerge the states into an all-powerful central government.
The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and sent to the states for their approval. Instead of sending the document to the state legislatures for approval, the delegates decided to require the ratification (agreement) of the states through elected state conventions. Nine states’ ratification would be required for the Constitution to be in effect, and then in only the states so ratifying.
The delegates had reasons for opening the Constitution with the words "We the People." It was the same reason as requiring the agreement of the states through elected state conventions. Under the social contract theory of the nation’s founding document, the Declaration of Independence, the new government would be illegitimate (illegal) without the consent of the governed.
Henry and others also opposed ratification of the Constitution because it had no bill of rights. They wanted clear protections for the states and the people from the new national government.
They believed that without a bill of rights, the central government could potentially infringe upon the rights and freedoms of the states and the individual citizens. Henry argued that the Constitution gave too much power to the central government and did not adequately protect the rights of the people. He feared that without specific protections outlined in a bill of rights, the government could become tyrannical.
Patrick Henry and his supporters, known as the Anti-Federalists, actively campaigned against the ratification of the Constitution. They wrote essays and delivered speeches arguing against its adoption. Their efforts were successful in influencing several states to call for amendments to protect individual rights before ratifying the Constitution.
As a result of their efforts, the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in 1791. These first ten amendments ensured the protection of individual liberties, such as the right to free speech, freedom of religion, and the right to a fair trial. The inclusion of a bill of rights helped alleviate some of the concerns of those who opposed the centralized power of the new government.
Despite the approval and satisfaction expressed by Benjamin Franklin, not all individuals were pleased with the outcome of the Constitution. Patrick Henry, in particular, felt validated in his previous predictions about the strengthening of a national government. Henry was infuriated upon reading the initial three words of the Constitution, "We the People," as he believed it should have instead read "We the states." According to Henry, this choice of wording demonstrated the delegates' intention to centralize power and undermine the autonomy of the states.
Following its signing on September 17, 1787, the Constitution was dispatched to the states for their approval. Instead of sending it to be ratified by state legislatures, the delegates decided to require the consent of the states through elected state conventions. For the Constitution to take effect, the ratification of nine states was necessary, and even then, it would only be applicable in those specific states.
The delegates intentionally chose to begin the Constitution with the words "We the People" for a specific reason. This decision aligned with their commitment to the social contract theory established in the Declaration of Independence. According to this theory, a new government would be considered illegitimate without the consent of the governed, hence the emphasis on the people's participation in the foundational document.
In addition to Henry's objections, there were others who opposed the ratification of the Constitution due to the absence of a bill of rights. These individuals, including Henry, desired explicit protections for both the states and the citizens against potential encroachments by the newly empowered national government.
Patrick Henry and other opponents of the Constitution had varying reasons for their dissatisfaction with the results of the Constitutional Convention and their opposition to its ratification.
One of the main concerns of Henry was the perceived shift towards a stronger central government at the expense of the states. He believed that the words "We the People" in the opening of the Constitution signaled a desire to submerge the states into a powerful central government. Henry argued that the opening should instead read "We the states" to emphasize the sovereignty and independence of the individual states.
To understand why the delegates chose to open the Constitution with the words "We the People," we can look at the underlying principles and goals of the Constitution. The Constitution aimed to create a more unified and cohesive nation, overcoming the limitations and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. Establishing a government that derived its authority from the people themselves, rather than just from the individual states, was seen as a way to foster a stronger sense of national identity and unity.
Additionally, the decision to require the ratification of the Constitution by elected state conventions, rather than state legislatures, was another factor that raised concerns for Henry and other opponents. This approach was chosen to ensure that the Constitution received the direct consent of the people, in line with the principles of popular sovereignty and the social contract theory. The idea was that the new government would be considered legitimate only if it had the consent of the governed.
Another key issue for Henry and his fellow opponents was the absence of a bill of rights in the Constitution. They argued that the new national government needed clear protections for individual liberties and limitations on its powers. The omission of a bill of rights raised concerns about potential encroachments on the rights and freedoms of both the states and the people.
In response to these concerns, the supporters of the Constitution, known as the Federalists, promised to address the issue of individual liberties by proposing amendments to include a bill of rights. This assurance helped to eventually convince some states to ratify the Constitution.
Overall, the opposition to the Constitution from Patrick Henry and others was based on fears of a strong central government, a desire to protect the rights of the states, and concerns about the absence of explicit individual rights protections. These debates and discussions ultimately led to the addition of the Bill of Rights, which helped secure the ratification of the Constitution and safeguarded individual liberties.