▁rat ification ". ▁ ▁Th irty - n ine ▁deleg ates ▁signed ▁the ▁final ized ▁Constitution . ▁Th ir teen ▁deleg ates ▁left ▁before ▁it ▁was ▁completed , ▁and ▁three ▁who ▁remained ▁at ▁the ▁convention ▁until ▁the ▁end ▁refused ▁to ▁sign ▁it : ▁Mason , ▁Ger ry , ▁and ▁Edmund ▁Rand olph ▁of ▁Virginia . ▁After ward , ▁the ▁Constitution ▁was ▁presented ▁to ▁the ▁Articles ▁of ▁Confeder ation ▁Congress ▁with ▁the ▁request ▁that ▁it ▁afterwards ▁be ▁submitted ▁to ▁a ▁convention ▁of ▁deleg ates , ▁chosen ▁in ▁each ▁State ▁by ▁the ▁people , ▁for ▁their ▁ass ent ▁and ▁rat ification . ▁ ▁Anti - F eder al ists ▁ ▁Following ▁the ▁Philadelphia ▁Convention , ▁some ▁leading ▁revolution ary ▁figures ▁such ▁as ▁Patrick ▁Henry , ▁Samuel ▁Adams , ▁and ▁Richard ▁Henry ▁Lee ▁public ly ▁opposed ▁the ▁new ▁frame ▁of ▁government , ▁a ▁position ▁known ▁as ▁" Ant i - F eder al ism ". ▁El bridge ▁Ger ry ▁wrote ▁the ▁most ▁popular ▁Anti - F eder al ist ▁tract , ▁" H on . ▁Mr . ▁Ger ry ' s ▁Ob jections ", ▁which ▁went ▁through ▁ 4 6 ▁print ings ; ▁the ▁ess ay ▁particularly ▁focused ▁on ▁the ▁lack ▁of ▁a ▁bill ▁of ▁rights ▁in ▁the ▁proposed ▁Constitution . ▁Many ▁were ▁concerned ▁that ▁a ▁strong ▁national ▁government ▁was ▁a ▁threat ▁to ▁individual ▁rights ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁President ▁would ▁become ▁a ▁king . ▁Jefferson ▁wrote ▁to ▁Mad ison ▁advoc ating ▁a ▁Bill ▁of ▁Rights : ▁" H alf ▁a ▁lo af ▁is ▁better ▁than ▁no