Bill of Rights
Patrick Henry’s Lesson on the Need for a Bill of Rights
On June 12, 1788, Patrick Henry spoke during the Virginia Ratifying Convention, reiterating the need for a Bill of Rights in the proposed U.S. Constitution before its adoption. During this speech, he offered a history lesson highlighting the importance of preserving...
Forever Prisoners
I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.” -Thomas Jefferson, Jan. 30, 1787 When Thomas Jefferson wrote to his friend, neighbor and colleague, James Madison, his view that...
Setting a Foundation: The Virginia Declaration of Rights
On June 12, 1776, the Fifth Virginia Convention passed the Virginia Declaration of Rights. It is arguably the most important founding document that most people have never heard of. The Virginia Declaration of Rights laid the groundwork for both the Declaration of...
Bloody Gina and Her Team of Torturers
Last week, at a pretrial hearing at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi who is charged with being the mastermind of an attack on the USS Cole in 2000 at which 17 American sailors were killed, the psychologist in charge of...