By Ilana Mercer
July 6, 2026
Should the Federal Constitution be ratified, there would be 'no checks, no real balances,' thundered Patrick Henry. Instead, the country would live under a 'powerful and mighty empire.'
On the eve of the federal convention, and following its adjournment in September of 1787, the Anti-Federalists made the case that the Constitution makers in Philadelphia had exceeded the mandate they were given to amend the Articles of Confederation, and nothing more.