PATRICK HENRY
"The president will lead in the treason. Your militia will leave you and fight against you. What will you do when evil men take office? When Evil men take office the whole gang will be in collusion. They will keep the people in utter ignorance and steal their liberty by ambuscade. When government removes your armaments, you will have no power, but government will have all power." -- Patrick Henry
"My great objection to this government is that it does not leave us the means of defending our rights, or waging war against tyrants. Have we the means of resisting disciplined armies, when our only defense, the militia, is put in the hands of the congress? ... Your guns are gone! What resistance could be made? Will you assemble and just tell them?" Patrick Henry
PATRICK HENRY OBJECTED TO UNLIMITED GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY OVER THE MILITIA
What you see above are clippings taken from the Constitution of the United States of America regarding the militia. These are the very same words and sentences that Patrick Henry read at the time the Constitution was first being circulated for adoption by the thirteen states.
Henry saw many loopholes in the Constitution which horrified him. In 1787 he called the Constitution, a "crazy machine" and vehemently opposed its adoption. He never let up until the people's liberty became somewhat safeguarded. He had fought in the long war to establish liberty and he did not intend to let this Constitution "trample on your fallen liberty!" It was mainly a grant of power to new office holders, but it held no safeguards for the liberty of the people. He saw many loopholes in the document signed by George Washington. He railed against its adoption.
Henry's insight told him that what was being done with the militia was sheer madness! What you see in the upper-left above (U.S. Const. Article I, Section 8) turned the training of the militia over to the Congress, and what you see in the upper-right above (U.S. Const. Article II, Section 2) turned the command of the militia over the President to be its "Commander-In-Chief".. "when called into the actual service of the United States".
"When the American spirit was in its youth, the language of Americans was different; liberty, sir, was then the primary object," he fumed.
The turning over of the militia to the very people who should be watched; ones who, he predicted, would "seize all power unto themselves, and convert the states into one consolidated government," was foolhardy! He predicted that the president would someday lead in the treason. "Your militia will leave you and fight against you!" he declared!
Henry told them that the new government was being allowed too much money and being given too much power; that the power of the federal courts would swell the patronage of the president; that they were negligently suffering their liberty to be wrestled from them; and that the treaty making power of the president was one of the most fearful features and would cause us to enter into the most ruinous of foreign engagements.
He advised them that they were writing the Constitution as if only good men would take office. "What will you do when evil men take office?" he demanded. "When evil men take office, the whole gang will be in collusion! They will keep the people in utter ignorance and steal their liberty by ambuscade!" he warned. He added: "Your laws on impeachment are a sham and a mockery due to mutual implication of government officials!"
He lectured for 23 days in the Virginia statehouse, expounding upon these and many other weak points in the document. States then began to refuse to ratify the Constitution.
"My great objection to this government is that it does not leave us the means of defending our rights, or waging war against tyrants. Have we the means of resisting disciplined armies, when our only defense, the militia, is put in the hands of the congress? ... Your guns are gone! What resistance could be made? Will you assemble and just tell them?"
"Even if you could assemble, how will you enforce rightful punishment when due? Oh, sir, we should have fine times, indeed, if to punish tyrants, it were only necessary to assemble the people. A standing army we shall have, also to execute the execrable commands of tyranny."
Henry continued on: "Let Mr. Madison tell me when did liberty ever exist when the sword and the purse were given up from the people? Unless a miracle shall interpose, no nation ever did, nor ever can, retain its liberty after the loss of the sword and the purse! Congress, by the power of taxation, by that of raising an army, and by their control over the militia, have the sword in one hand and the purse in the other. Shall we be safe without either? Congress has an unlimited power over both: they are entirely given up by us!"
"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty! Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel! Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force, and whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined!" "When government removes your armaments, you will have NO power but government will have ALL power!" he warned.
With all the force of his great oratorical power, he commanded his audience in the Virginia statehouse with this directive: "The least you can do is guard this Constitution with a Bill of Rights!"
Henry had rightfully envisioned the unlimited control the federal government would some day assume over the states and the militias. Since he could not get the support needed to immediately open up another convention and re-do the Constitution, the Bill of Rights was the only recourse left open to try to prevent the serious transgressions he foresaw in days to come.
The Bill of Rights he was prescribing would require a strong prohibition written into it in order to guard against federal officials' ability to interfere, in any way whatever, singularly or collectively, with the people's right to keep and bear arms. It was understood by all at the time, that the prime reason for what we now call 'our Second Amendment', was to enter an interdiction which would extricate the militia and give the people a chance at least to resist and arrest tyranny.
The Second Amendment reads:
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
This became an order for the people to keep a watch on government. It became a command from that day forward. The colonial fathers who finalized the amendment were holding all of the people of the
future responsible for everlastingly providing security for a free state, and for the state to remain free! It further meant that all the people had to be well-trained, equal to the task of sustaining the condition of a free state.
The Preamble to the Bill of Rights added an umbrella of security to all of the amendments in the Bill of Rights by ordering that there was to be no misconstruction or abuse of Constitutional powers; that the people's rights needed to be understood by all (declaratory), and that, in particular, the federal government was to keep "hands off" (restrictive)!*
Tracing the footsteps of Patrick Henry reveals that the real intent and purpose of the Second Amendment was not to broaden the power of the federal government nor that of the state; instead, it was drafted to exercise authority over any public official who became tyrannical. Complete control of the militia by public officials would leave the people with no recourse against tyranny!
As George Washington first saw it, Art. I Sec. 8 and Art. II Sec. 2 appeared to be sufficient, allowing public officials on state and federal levels of government to call (draft) American citizens into
service for:
(1) the purpose of protecting the duly authorized laws of the nation against insurrection or rebellion brought on by the people, and for
(2) protecting from the danger of foreign invasion.
However, in tracing the events that followed in the interim which preceded the writing of the Second Amendment, it has been proven that Washington developed a broader view. Patrick Henry's influence upon these events is a matter of public record.
Since it was up to George Washington, as the first president, to pioneer the operation of a "well regulated" militia, he took farmers and other civilians out for their annual training. Having had great respect for Patrick Henry, Washington himself included the following in his Militia Plan No. 2 of 1790 which reflects his reasoning for the militia:
"The well informed members of the community, actuated by the highest motives of self-love, would form the real defense of the country. Rebellions would be prevented or suppressed with ease; invasions of such a government would be undertaken only by mad men; and the virtues and knowledge of the people would effectually oppose the introduction of tyranny."
Here in Washington's own manuscript, we gather these three reasons for the militia: (1) rebellion, (2) invasions, and (3) tyranny. This adds to the proof that the purpose of the militia of the Second Amendment is for the people to guard against tyranny in government. Without a shadow of a doubt, the Second Amendment came into existence so that the people could protect themselves against despotic acts and tyranny brought on by public officials!
Patrick Henry was not alone in realizing the need for the people to exercise together as a force against unlimited and unauthorized power. The following quote has been attributed to Thomas Jefferson
who reflected that:
"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
The nature of the Bill of Rights is such that its contents are not repealable. The militia of the Second Amendment (being a component of the Bill of Rights) carries the same immunity and can never be repealed.
The evidence is indisputable: The Second Amendment was meant for the people to use to protect themselves against tyranny in government, a threat which will never cease!
These papers prove that the state and the federal officials had everything they needed for their use of the militia, but the people had no security for their needs until the Second Amendment was drafted. The purpose of the Second Amendment was intended for use by the people to control tyranny if ever "evil men take office".
"The Preamble to the Bill of Rights: 'The Convention of a number of the states having at the time of their adopting the Constitution expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of
its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the government will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution..."