The Right to Bear Arms???

 
Hall/Perdue
 
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Hall/Perdue
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25 December 2006 10:38
 

The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution 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."

 

Clearly Benjamin Franklin indended the primary meaning of this amendment to refer to firearms and weapons.  It is not my intention here to provide some rediculous arguement in the debate on gun control.  However,  If you take a close look at Ben Franklin you may agree that he also meant something else.

 

Ben Franklin was a printer.  Not only did he print books, a luxury of the wealthy in 18th century Philadelphia, but he also printed book plates for the owners of those books.  Without a doubt Franklin understood heraldry.  He also understood how the use of a Coat of Arms served to divide society.  Education and access to books was normally a luxury reserved for aristocrats.

 

Franklin did not receive a formal education.  He educated himself by reading the books he was printing.  Without self-education Franklin never would have developed from printer to respected scientist to political guru.  Franklin’s scientific accomplishments had earned him a great deal of respect in Europe.  Still as a diplomat, there is little doubt that Franklin recognized that some doors remained closed to him, merely because he was not a member of the aristocracy.  He wished to break down those closed doors, the rest of his life championing free education, and ultimately founding the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Finally, Ben Franklin was a wise-@#$.  No disrespect intended.  In fact he knew it.  His writings are loaded with sarcasm, wit, puns, and of course double-intendre.  Look at the Second Amendment again, "...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall, not be infringed…" Did he intend a second meaning?  I think so.  The right of opportunity of which we Americans are so proud is written right here.  We all have the opportunity to become wealthy, and respected, and influental, traits signified in that day by a coat of arms.

 

A little more evidence…

 

Did Benjamin Franklin write a piece of double-intendre in order to slip one by the signers of the constitution.  I doubt that.  In, fact I suspect that they understood the double-intendre, and agreed with it.

 

While perhaps not every member of the Constitutional Congress picked up on the play on words.  The political atmosphere was that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were the most influential political leaders of the day.  If Jefferson and Washington gave their support to something, the Virginia delegation was sure to vote in that manner, and the rest of the delegates for the most part would fall in line.

 

George Washington did not receive a formal education.  His father died when George was a boy, and the opportunity was not there for him.  He did have access to books, so he too educated himself to the best of his ability.  He understood that many doors were closed to him, so he chose another path to rise to respectability and influence…the military.  Later in life he communicated with heralds in England about his own genealogy and arms used in the Washington family.  Washington himself assumed the arms of an ancestor without any differencing.

 

Thomas Jefferson did receive a formal education.  However, Jefferson’s father also died when Thomas was a boy.  Thomas had to petition the trustees of his fathers estate to allow him to get an education.  I dare not make any bold statements about this enigma of a man, but it is fair to say that Jefferson savored education for the rest of his life.  He like Franklin founded a university, the University of Virginia, for which he was most proud.

 

A note on the lack of references:

 

As stated in another thread, I believe in references.  However, I am not a research historian,  I read a lot of books about the founding fathers for my own enjoyment.  The conclusions I have drawn are the result of much reading, and to go back and find and cite references would require much more work than I am willing to do.  It would be great if someday a college student were to address this topic and turn it into a term paper.smile

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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25 December 2006 11:28
 

As far as I’ve always heard, Benjamin Franklin didn’t write the Bill of Rights.  George Mason did.

And the introductory clause referring to a "well-regulated militia" is a dead giveaway that this amendment has to do with the kind of arms that a militia would find useful in defending the free state.

 

Nice try, but no cigar.

 
Michael Swanson
 
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Michael Swanson
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25 December 2006 12:33
 

Almost on topic…..

While researching the Associators crest supposedly design by Benjamin Franklin, I received the following information from Joseph Seymour, an Army National Guard Historian at Fort Lesley J. McNair.


Quote:

The device to which you refer first appeared on a silk standard presented to one of the companies of the Associated Regiment of Foot of the City of Philadelphia on 1 January 1748.  I have never found a contemporary image of the standard, which was described first in the Pennsylvania Gazette and later in the London Magazine, as a lion rampant holding a naked scimitar in his right paw, and the shield of the Penn family in his left.  There is no mention of a torse, only the motto, PATRIA.  Nor is there hard evidence, the Institute of Heraldry’s website notwithstanding, that Benjamin Franklin designed this emblem.  On the contrary, Franklin himself states that Philadelphia ladies funded the company standards.

The Philadelphia Associators may have worn a uniform in 1747, and definitely wore one after 1756, but the earliest detailed account of a uniform was written in 1775.  It describes a brown coat faced white, buff, or red to denote battalion, a hunting shirt for the rifle battalion, and scarlet and blue for the artillery battalion.  The Light Horse Troop wore brown faced white.  Prior to 1775, Joseph Cowperthwaite’s Quaker Blues may have worn blue faced white uniforms, and John Cadwalader’s Philadelphia Greens wore green faced white.

 

The rampant lion standard was by no means the predominant Associator emblem, nor was it the only emblem the Association used throughout its thirty year history.  It became one of the more visible symbols after Pennsylvania revived it for use as a distinctive unit insignia for color bearing organizations in 1922.

 

Joseph Seymour

 

 
Hall/Perdue
 
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Hall/Perdue
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25 December 2006 22:07
 

Oops!  My memory failed me.  Benjamin Franklin did not write the Bill of Rights Uggghh…feel a little dumb now.:oops:

Anyway after Mr. McMillan’s comment about George Mason I just had to look it up… In fact James Madison wrote the first draft of the Bill of Rights that appears in the US Constitution.  Madison, however was strongly influenced by the Virginia Declaration of Rights that was written by George Mason.

 

 

Now that I’ve eaten my meal of crow can we delete this thread befory too many people see my blunder???:oops:

 

Uugghh another bright idea gone terribly awry.

 

Hey but that is why I joined this forum.  My wife certainly doesn’t want to hear me babble on about some silly heraldry idea…that’s where you guys come in.  Consider this bit of humor my little holiday present to you.

 

Happy Holidays

 
Stephen R. Hickman
 
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Stephen R. Hickman
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26 December 2006 02:29
 

Joseph McMillan wrote:

Nice try, but no cigar.


Given how various judges tend to (mis)interpret the Constitution to make rulings which don’t neccessarily agree with the Founding Fathers’ intent, I could see where any one of them could rule that the Second Amendment refers to heraldic arms as well—or instead.

 

Which brings me to a question that I’ve been pondering for quite some time now:  If some judge were to rule that the Second Amendment did indeed include the right to bear heraldic arms, then how would that affect the possibility of a heraldic authority here in the U.S., either at the national and/or state level?

 
focusoninfinity
 
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focusoninfinity
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26 December 2006 12:26
 

I question if it is true; but as I descend six colonial inn keepers, I love it.

Ol’Ben ending a day of a cold New England journey late; gave his mount up to the hostler and entered the inn. Before a fire where young colonial "yuppies" enjoying the fire and hot drinks, concentrating on themselves, and heedless of the cold, old man they would not make room for near "their" fire. Franklin sat in a chair in a cold corner of the room.

 

The inn keeper approached, asking what would be Franklin’s choice of hot victuals—"Hot oysters, to start?".

 

"Excellent"... said Franklin LOUDLY; "...but you must feed my horse, his hot oysters, FIRST. The yuppie dandies and dates, turn ‘round amused at the cold old man in the cold corner. "The old man’s horse, EATS HOT OYSTERS" they laughted; "We must see this spectacle". The dandie’s and their ladies left for the stable with the servant bearing hot oysters for Franklin’s horse.

 

Franklin’s horse declined to partake: "Stupid, fool of an old man" the colonial yuppies sneared" to their dates; and returned for the comfort of hearth and heat.

 

In a large chair before the fire, sat old Franklin, now cheerfully so seated. "Sir", said the servant, "...your horse would not partake these hot oysters?". "He won’t…", exclaimed Franklin, as if surprised; "...then I think I will"; as Ol’Ben smiled, and eat comfortably before; now FRANKLIN’s warm fire.

 

To me the "right to bear arms" is in the context of a "well regulated militia".

 

But the right to that militia is "We the people’s militia", not the government’s militia. The armed "We the people’s" militia being a check (balance) on the government; and "Well regulated", being a check on "We the people"‘s militia. The government belongs to "We the people"; not "We the people", to the government.

 

Balance! I believe all males (not in activeservice, or in the National Gurard) (females at their option) between ages 16 and 60, should be required (officers may alternatively have military pistols) to keep modern military issue rifles, plus sixty rounds of ammunition; and an annual reqired muster day rendezvous of drill and firing (other days voluntary). The once muskets of yesteryear, were then modern weapons; not then antiques.

 

Objectors, spiritual, or just contrary; to be given fair alternative service. This concept satisfies neither the left or right winger’s idealogies: it must be good?

 
Hall/Perdue
 
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Hall/Perdue
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26 December 2006 19:27
 

OK…Apperantly I not only made a blunder in regards to the author of the Bill of Rights, but I also failed to express myself clearly.  It was not my intention to suggest that the second amendment means anything less than the Right to bear BANG!!!!BANG!!! FIREARMS.

I simply suggested that a double meaning may exist…intended as a quip, a joke, or a wise crack…yet a very clever wise crack, with overtones of the social upheaval taking place during the revolutionary era.

 

Franklin insisted that a Bill of Rights be included, however, he did not write the Bill of Rights himself.

Had Franklin written the Bill of Rights, an ultra-intelligent wise crack would have been just his style.

 

James Madison wrote the Bill of Rights for the U.S. Constitution.  Madison was influenced by George Mason…AND GET THIS George Mason was influenced by English Common Law and the English Bill of Rights…And the English Common Law has its roots in the Assize of Arms of 1181

 

Apparently the "right to bear arms" predates the invention of firearms.  At the root of it the Second Amendment did indeed refer to the use of shields and Coats of Arms…REAL ONES.  It wasn’t a quip or a joke.  The phrase simply had baggage…so to speak.

 

For fear of making another embarrasing blunder, I will provide a reference here.  I used Wikipedia and looked up "Ben Franklin""Bill of Rights", "Right to bear Arms"

 

Please forgive the way I reference Wikipedia.  At this time I don’t know the proper format to reference a web site, but I suppose I should learn.