National Network for Equitable Library Service

The Constitution is so exalted that many Americans fail to realize it was just barely approved as the supreme law of the land. In Virginia, the most influential state at the time, the debate over ratification developed into a titanic struggle between political heavyweights James Madison and Patrick Henry. Even after Madison promised to add a Bill of Rights to mollify anti-Federalists, Henry fought his rival bitterly, ensuring that Madison's political path was strewn with obstacles.