Argumentative Essay: Should The Constitution Be Ratified?
524 Words3 Pages
I, Richard Henry Lee, am an anti-federalist and I am here to tell you why the Constitution should not be ratified. However, let me tell you, my fellow delegates, a little bit about myself before I state my opinions of the Constitution . I was born on January 20, 1731 at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland, Virginia. Studying at a private school in England, I returned to Virginia in 1751. In 1758, I entered the House of Burgesses and in the same year was appointed to the Continental Congress. Some of you might recognize me, as I was elected president of the Congress for the Articles of Confederation. I am very patriotic when it comes to my country and feel the need to convince the public that the Constitution needs to be improved. Or else we, the federalists or anti-federalists, will never come to a consensus. It is of my opinion that the ratification of the Constitution should be opposed as it will only lead to a corrupt, fraudulent, and tyrannic country.…show more content… However, electing a U.S. president would lead us right back to the path of tyranny that we tried to escape not so long ago. A president could lead the U.S. into a decayed state, can possibly take away the people’s rights, and our country could end up going back into a monarchy like before. In addition, the Constitution has given too much power to the future leaders of the country and something needs to change. “The President's vast new powers, especially a veto that could overturn decisions of the people's representatives in the legislature, were especially disturbing” (Antifederalists 1). In other words, assigning the responsibility of an entire country onto one person will only end in regret and