George Mason's Objection of the Constitution
George Mason
The Constitution of the United States
George Mason's Statement of Objections to the Constitution
(I wrote this from George Mason's point of view, and tried to also incorporate his voice in the times)
September 17, 1787
Statement of Objections to the Constitution
My fellow delegates, I shall share with you why I believe this Constitution should not be ratified, and why I shall not be signing this document. Tell me, have we, or have we not won this American Revolution for exactly the purpose of escaping the tyranny and oppression of a strong central government? Have we not? We have! And tell me, what exactly shall stop a strong, central, and tyrannical government from forming under this so called Constitution? Shall we undo everything that we have fought for less than 5 years ago? I think not! The electing of members of the congress by the people is NOT sufficient in any manner, to provide the representation of the people, in this government. There is only one such way to accomplish this, and it comes in the form of a Bill of Rights. Every state has a Bill of Rights, so why is its omission permitted in the Constitution? Surely you must see that this may be my strongest objection to this Constitution. I am not signing this gilded trap for this exact reason. It lacks a Bill of Rights to protect the liberties of the people and protect them from a tyrannical rule. When such a Bill shall be added, I shall more approve of this Constitution. In addition this Constitution shall steal power from the common folk. And may I mention that it shall limit state’s rights? I am furthermore not pleased, because this Constitution drops the annual elections in favor of congressional representatives. What's more? This document allows the government to form an army and control it as it pleases. And it neglects any mention of God. Finally, it allows for an undemocratic way of ratification, which, under this document, states that only two thirds of this nation is required to make a national law. I hope I have made a point, that, this undemocratic document is unfit to be America’s new government.
-George Mason