In his last major speech during the Virginia Ratifying Convention, Patrick Henry warned against the potential for “ten thousand implied powers,” and called for a number of amendments prior to ratification.
The post Ten Thousand Implied Powers: Patrick Henry’s Final Antifederalist Speech first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
In a series of speeches during the Virginia Ratifying Convention, Patrick Henry warned against a combination of the treaty, the judicial power and - the supremacy clause - that it would lead to government violating individual liberty with impunity.
The post Treaties, Trials and Supremacy: Patrick Henry’s Anti-Federalist Speeches 8-10 first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
We were warned. The powers amassed by each successive president empower whomever occupies the Oval Office to act as a dictator, above the law and beyond any real accountability.
The post Top-5 Ways the Executive Branch Has too Much Power first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
In a huge change from the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution eliminated “requisitions,” what many saw as a primary reason for the new system of taxation. Rejecting Alexander Hamilton and other Federalists in this debate were Patrick Henry and the anti-federalists.
The post Tax Battle! Henry vs Hamilton on the Requisition System first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
In a series of speeches during the Virginia Ratifying Convention, Patrick Henry warned that despite arguments to the contrary, the federal government wouldn’t act like its powers were only those delegated to it. Instead, it would act like all others before it - all powers are granted except those expressly reserved.
The post Implied vs Expressly Reserved: Patrick Henry’s Anti-Federalist Speeches 5-7 first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
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 “degenerates into a Tyrant, and forfeits all right to his subjects’ obedience.” This set the stage for future opposition to the Stamp Act and serves as an early lesson in the power of resistance and nullification.
The post Forgotten Foundation: Patrick Henry and the Parson’s Cause first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
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 back.
The post Anti-Federalist Warnings: Government Power is Forever first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
Thomes Paine and Patrick Henry agreed that government is always a choice between evils.
The post Choose Wisely? first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
From the beginning, the federal taxing power evoked strong opposition from Anti-Federalists. They warned it would lead to infinite and incomprehensible power - and a tyranny potentially worse than they endured under the British.
The post Taxation: 5 Anti-Federalist Warnings first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
Fear is the foundation of government power. That's why governments are always coming up with new emergencies to save us from.
The post Fear Not! first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.