Reply #73: And what's sad is that Virginia originally produced [View All]

[Mairead]

George Mason, the author of the Bill of Rights. He walked out rather than sign the proposed new Constitution, and spoke out in Virginia against its ratification.

"He explained his reasons at length, citing the absence of a declaration of rights as his primary concern. He then discussed the provisions of the Constitution point by point, beginning with the House of Representatives.

The House he criticized as not truly representative of the nation, the Senate as too powerful. He also claimed that the power of the federal judiciary would destroy the state judiciaries, render justice unattainable, and enable the rich to oppress and ruin the poor. These fears led Mason to conclude that the new government was destined to either become a monarchy or fall into the hands of a corrupt, oppressive aristocracy."

We have the Bill Of Rights today mostly because of the respect in which he was held--the Federalists gave in on the BOR because they feared that he could single-handedly prevent ratification.

The sad part, of course, is that he was right: the House is not representative, the Senate is too powerful, the poor are exploited mercilessly by the wealthy, and the government is indeed in the hands of a corrupt, oppressive aristocracy.