The ideas that formed the Constitution: Virgil alone
The previous (ninth) essay in this series identified three Roman poets quoted by participants in the constitutional debates of 1787โ1790โOvid, Horace, and Virgil. The essay explained why Virgil was the most influential: โIf the American Founding had a poet laureate,โ...
The Federal Government is too Big; George Mason Warned Us
Many antifederalists warned us about the dangers of centralized power. And George Mason was one of the most prominent. They called this centralization of power in the general government “consolidation.” In a speech during the Virginia ratifying convention,...
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...