The picture above represents the start of the Revolutionary War, at the North Bridge where the American colonists engaged openly the British troops, in what is called “The Shot Heard Round The World”. This phrase is eulogized in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem, the “Concord Hymn” sung at the Completion of the Battle Monument, July 4, 1837. It is impossible in a short blog to fully document the beginnings of our battle for Independence. The seeds of discontent within the Colonies, promulgated by the British Crown’s insistence upon full and unyielding control, was brought to a culmination on April 19, 1775. American colonists objected to taxation without representation. Without getting into detail, the reader can do their own research on the following events. We are listing only a few. Tensions mounted with the Stamp Act of 1765, then the Townshend Acts in 1767 and 1768. There was the Boston Massacre in 1770, then the burning of the Gaspee in Rhode Island in 1772, Then The Tea Act of 1773, and the Boston Tea Party in December 1773. The British then closed the Boston Harbor, enacted punitive laws essentially rescinding Massachusetts Bay Colony’s privileges of self-government. The Continental Congress met in late 1774 to coordinate resistance to British Crown.
For some time, the American Patriots had been gathering weapons in storage for a potential conflict. British regulars were then sent to capture this cache of military supplies at Concord, and were met with resistance by Patriot militia, culminating in one of the skirmishes depicted in the picture above. Having had prior warning of the advance and purpose of British regulars, this warning carried by several riders including Paul Revere and Samuel Prescott, the Patriot weapons were dispersed in advance. The first shots were fired at Lexington, where the militia was outnumber and fell back having had greater casualties. The British regulars continued to Concord and proceeded with their directives. At the North Bridge, about 400 militiamen engaged about 100 British regulars, forcing the retreat of the regulars. The war escalated from here, but it is here we will stop our short review of history to consider the thrust of this blog. What does any of this have to do with the 2nd Amendment? Keep reading.
For years we have heard, mostly from the political right in this country, that we need guns to protect ourselves. We need to be able to defend ourselves from those who would attempt to mug us on the street, try to hijack our vehicles, or invade our homes intending to steal and even injure or kill our family members. It is true that having a weapon to be able to thwart such attacks on our persons or property is a justifiable reason to own a defensive weapon. There are also those who enjoy being able to hunt, and who use guns for sport. However, are these the real reasons for the creation of the 2nd Amendment? We want you to consider the prime reason for allowing the arming of the citizens of our Nation.
The Second Amendment, ratified in 1791, was proposed by James Madison to allow the creation of civilian forces that can counteract a tyrannical federal government. It 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.” We hold forth that the major factor in the establishment of this Amendment was America’s revolutionary experience. People have a right to defend themselves against any form of tyranny, that if any governing body breaches a social contract with it’s citizens, the people have the right, and under our Constitution, the obligation, to overthrow that government. It is “Sine qua non”, essential and absolutely necessary, for without it freedom will not be possible. Having a standing army, formed by the government, was a risky thing for our founding fathers, as they had just defeated the same from the British Crown. Who can ever be assured that a government’s armed forces might never be turned against it’s own citizens? There needed to be something independent from the government in order to ensure the rights and freedoms of every citizen. George Masson said, “to disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.” James Madison, in Federalist No. 46, when contrasting the proposed American federal government to European Kingdoms, criticized them as being “afraid to trust the people with arms”. He went on to state that Americans would never need to fear their government as they had the British Crown, because the Constitution would ensure them “the advantage of being armed.” Basically, the Second Amendment was necessary to deter any governmental abuse on the people, and that the liberties would be protected by the militia made by and for the people. In reality, like that which is enshrined in ancient Florentine and Roman constitutional principal, the Second Amendment makes every citizen a soldier, and every soldier a citizen.
Much has been written about the Second Amendment, from both scholars and laymen, from farmers and the Framers, from those of the legislative and judicial, from the right and from the left. All cannot be condensed into a simple blog. We simply wanted to highlight the importance those early American colonists placed upon their ability to have arms. We want to close by asking some simple questions. Where would we be today had not those American colonists taken up arms to establish their freedom? This is the freedom we too often take for granted, and over the last few months, have silently allowed to be taken from us. For years there has been a constant effort, by those who seek power over it’s citizens, to peal away protections granted by the Second Amendment, for they know an unarmed citizenry is a malleable and controllable citizenry. Spend some time in reflection and overlay our current governmental restrictions with what our early American colonists faced. Will your freedoms still be here tomorrow, or next year, or for your grandchildren and beyond? What are you willing to do to defend these freedoms granted to us by our Constitution?
We need to be brave like those early American colonists, and stand for freedom, and do whatever must be done to reclaim it, and to retain it. PLEASE MAKE PLANS NOW TO GO MASK FREE IF POSSIBLE, AND FOR ALL BUSINESSES AND INSTITUTIONS TO FULLY OPEN UP BEGINING JULY 4, 2021.