The Founders' Second Amendment

by Halbrook, Stephen P.

• ISBN13: 9781566637923
• ISBN10: 1566637929
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-06-01
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee

Summary

Stephen Halbrook's The Founders' Second Amendment is the first book-length account of the origins of the Second Amendment, based on the Founders' own statements as found in newspapers, correspondence, debates, and resolutions. Mr. Halbrook investigates the period from 1768 to 1826, from the last years of British rule and the American Revolution through to the adoption of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the passing of the Founders' generation. His book offers the most comprehensive analysis of the arguments behind the drafting and adoption of the Second Amendment, and the intentions of the men who created it. With the question of the right to bear arms scheduled to come before the Supreme Court in the spring of 2008, The Founders' Second Amendment could scarcely be more timely.

Author Biography

Stephen P. Halbrook is a Research Fellow at The Independent Institute in Oakland, California, and has taught legal and political philosophy at George Mason University, Howard University, and the Tuskegee Institute.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Disarming the Colonists
"The Inhabitants to Be Disarmed"	p. 9
From the Tea Party to the Powder Alarm	p. 29
The Arms Embargo and Search and Seizure at the Neck	p. 58
A Shot Heard 'Round the World and "a Cruel Act of Perfidy"	p. 75
Of Revolution and Rights
"Times That Try Men's Souls"	p. 111
"That the People Have a Right"	p. 126
"A Musket to Defend These Rights"	p. 148
The Constitution and Compromise
A Constitution with No Bill of Rights?	p. 171
The "Dissent of the Minority"	p. 191
Virginia Tips the Scales	p. 216
"A Majority That Is Irresistible"	p. 234
"To Keep and Bear Their Private Arms"
Mr. Madison's Amendments	p. 251
The Bill of Rights in the States	p. 279
The Great Militia Debate	p. 299
Old Founders Never Die, They Just Fade Away	p. 310
Conclusion
What Does the Second Amendment Say?	p. 323
Notes	p. 339
Index	p. 393
A Note on the Author	p. 427
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