Patrick Henry`s Influence on the Constitution
Patrick Henry was a strong antifederalist, and convinced others to be the same. He believed that a strong federal government would lead to a tyranny similar to what the colonists experienced under Britain. He refused to attend the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and became devoted to preventing the documents ratification. He gave many speeches at the Virginia Ratification Convention in 1788, using almost 25% of the total floor time. Still, he could not prevent the Constitution`s ratification, and the antifederalists were outvoted 89-79. However, he did manage to influence the Bill of Rights.