Originally Posted by
Eric the Green
The real reason the Second Amendment was ratified, and why it says "State" instead of "Country" (the Framers knew the difference - see the 10th Amendment), was to preserve the slave patrol militias in the southern states, which was necessary to get Virginia's vote. Founders Patrick Henry, George Mason, and James Madison were totally clear on that . . . and we all should be too.
As usual Eric the Obtuse is completely out to lunch on this one and has once again demonstrated his complete lack of knowledge and understanding of American History.
Here is an article about where the right to keep and bear arms and the militia concept come from and these ideas date from the middle ages, which is centuries before there were any English colonies anywhere, not only was the right to keep and bear arms for the common defense but also for the defense of the individual. The article I linked to is actually a very good summary on the common law right that predates the Constitution.
I will now include a quote by James Madison from Federalist Number 42, unlike Eric the Obtuse I have read both the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers which covers the ratification debate nicely. There is little written about slavery int hem and the following paragraph from Federalist 42 is one of the longest.It were doubtless to be wished that the power of prohibiting the importation of slaves, had not been postponed until the year 1808, or rather it had been suffered to have immediate operation. But it is not difficult to account either for this restriction on the general government , or for the manner in which the whole clause is expressed. It ought to be considered as a great point gained in favor of humanity, that a period of twenty years may terminate for ever within these States, a traffic which has so long and so loudly upbraided the barbarism of modern policy; that within that period it will receive a considerable discouragement from the federal Government, and may be totally abolished by a concurrence of the few States which continue the unnatural traffic, in the prohibitory example which has been given by so great a majority of the Union. Happy would it be for the unfortunate Africans, if an equal prospect lay before them, of being redeemed from the oppressions of their European brethren! Attempts have been made to pervert this clause into an objection against the Constitution, by representing it on one side as a criminal toleration of an illicit practice, and on another, as calculated to prevent voluntary and beneficial emigrations from Europe to America. I mention these misconstructions, not with a view to give them an answer, for they deserve none; but as specimens of the manner in which some have thought to fit to conduct their opposition to the proposed government.
These are not the words of a man who is hoping for a continuation of slavery for all time, but rather working toward its eventual eradication. It must also be remembered that Thomas Jefferson also attempted to abolish slavery himself when is was in the Virginia Legislature but was unable to do so. Eric the Obtuse will no doubt point out that Jefferson did not give up his slaves. Before rendering a harsh judgment on the man, consider how willing you would have been to commit economic suicide. I would be willing to bet a large sum of money that most if not all of the people here, including Eric the Obtuse, would be unwilling to reduce themselves to destitution, particularly under eighteenth century conditions.
I will now reference A Different Mirror by Ronald Takaki which was a textbook used by a professor in a very politically correct American Studies course. It is necessary to point this out since Eric the Obtuse or someone almost as stupid is going to complain about the source that I used.
In 1619 Virginia had no laws allowing slavery and even though they were "sold" it is very likely the first Africans were in fact indentured servants. The best way to think of an indentured servant would be as contract labor in which their four to seven year term was to pay for the transportation costs. It should also be noted that while they were indentured they did not loose their rights as Englishmen and become property. A surprising number of white indentured servants were also brought to America against their will during this time. This is not to say that discrimination against the black indentured servants didn't occur but they were not property and did get their freedom when their term was up. This would start to change in the years just prior to Bacon's Rebellion.
Bacon's Rebellion is rather interesting because black and white colonists fought together for a common cause. It is because of this that the plantation owners, who until this time had relied primarily on white indentured labor, implemented the system of slavery the southern states are known for. They did this because an Englishman could not be arbitrarily stripped of his common law rights, but the imported Africans could be because they were not Englishmen. This was how the plantation owners would choose to avoid a repeat of Bacon's Rebellion since the black population could be disarmed and then exploited since they were obviously not English.
"Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest." is what Gandhi has to say about the British in his autobiography. As you can see from the origins of slavery in Virginia, the crime of denying the same common law right to keep an bear arms is what made all of the other crime perpetrated against the slaves possible. The Second Amendment simply codified what had been recognized as a common law right for many centuries before the institution of slavery in America and the denial of this basic right is what allowed slavery to exist in America.
Here is what Reason has say about why the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted in the wake of the War Between the States and is a pretty fair representation about how Libertarians in general feel about the issue. It should also be noted that the first gun control legislation was adopted specifically to disarm the newly freed slaves.
