Which Virginian figure is noted for opposing the Constitution at the convention due to the absence of a Bill of Rights?

• A. George Mason
• B. Patrick Henry
• C. James Madison
• D. Thomas Jefferson

Answer: (A)

At the Philadelphia Convention, the question tests understanding of why a key Virginian opposed the new framework because it lacked a Bill of Rights. George Mason argued that without explicit protections for individual liberties, the proposed national government could threaten basic rights. He had already helped draft the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which strongly protected liberties, so his insistence on a Bill of Rights made him oppose signing the Constitution as it stood. Patrick Henry, while sharing anti-centralization concerns, did not participate in the convention itself, so he didn’t speak there. James Madison, by contrast, supported the Constitution at the convention and later helped craft the Bill of Rights to address such concerns. Thomas Jefferson wasn’t at the convention either, being in France, though he supported rights protection in principle and influenced later debates through correspondence.