- Jun 2022
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www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
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teachingamericanhistory.org teachingamericanhistory.org
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https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/patrick-henry-virginia-ratifying-convention-va/
While gerrymandering isn't brought up explicitly here, the underlying principles are railed against heavily.
Some interesting things applicable to the rise of Donald J. Trump hiding in here.
Interesting to read this in its historical context versus our present context. So much can be read into his words from our current context, while others can extract dramatically different views--particularly by Constitutional originalists.
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It is a fact that lands have been sold for five shillings, which were worth one hundred pounds: if sheriffs, thus immediately under the eye of our state legislature and judiciary, have dared to commit these outrages, what would they not have done if their masters had been at Philadelphia or New York?
This is almost hilarious in light of how the U.S. Government has since repeatedly dispossessed Indigenous Americans of their lands for far less than "five shillings."
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Our situation will be deplorable indeed: nor can we ever expect to get this government amended, since I have already shown that a very small minority may prevent it, and that small minority interested in the continuance of the oppression.
The definition of "freemen" to Patrick Henry here is ultimate as otherwise all of his words are folly since they don't include exactly those people who are most oppressed within his own country.
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O sir, we should have fine times, indeed, if, to punish tyrants, it were only sufficient to assemble the people! Your arms, wherewith you could defend yourselves, are gone; and you have no longer an aristocratical, no longer a democratical spirit. Did you ever read of any revolution in a nation, brought about by the punishment of those in power, inflicted by those who had no power at all? You read of a riot act in a country which is called one of the freest in the world, where a few neighbors cannot assemble without the risk of being shot by a hired soldiery, the engines of despotism. We may see such an act in America.
Oh the ironies of this as he was talking about a small proportion of the population at the time, a large swath of which (namely enslaved persons with no power) had no arms to protect themselves against him.
His definition of "freemen" was painfully limiting for someone speaking about freedom in such lofty terms.
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A bare majority in these four small states may hinder the adoption of amendments; so that we may fairly and justly conclude that one twentieth part of the American people may prevent the removal of the most grievous inconveniences and oppression, by refusing to accede to amendments. A trifling minority may reject the most salutary amendments. Is this an easy mode of securing the public liberty It is, sir, a most fearful situation, when the most contemptible minority can prevent the alteration of the most oppressive government; for it may, in many respects, prove to be such. Is this the spirit of republicanism?
Patrick Henry railed against the idea that small minorities could hold the country hostage and subject us to "the most oppressive government".
Little did he anticipate that gerrymandering and chicanery of just such a nature would come to pass in American History.
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Some minds are agitated by foreign alarms. Happily for us, there is no real danger from Europe; that country is engaged in more arduous business: from that quarter there is no cause of fear: you may sleep in safety forever for them.
When talking about "disciplined armies", "defense", and "militias" at the Virginia Ratifying Convention in 1788, Patrick Henry explicitly says that the United States is not in danger from European powers:
Some minds are agitated by foreign alarms. Happily for us, there is no real danger from Europe; that country is engaged in more arduous business: from that quarter there is no cause of fear: you may sleep in safety forever for them.
Tags
- Patrick Henry
- hypocrisy
- freemen
- MAGA
- liberty
- Constitutional originalism
- freedom
- democracy
- quote
- Donald J. Trump
- slavery
- read
- 1788
- irony
- despotism
- quotes
- Indigenous Americans
- Virginia
- theft of land
- five shillings
- 30 pieces of silver
- Second Amendment
- gun control
- power
- eisegesis vs. exegesis
- dispossession
- founding fathers
- American history
- U.S. Constitution
- gerrymandering
- racist policies
Annotators
URL
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“If they neglect or refuse”: “Document: Patrick Henry Speech BeforeVirginia Ratifying Convention (June 5, 1788),” Teaching American History.
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Patrick Henry and George Mason: Dave Davies, “Historian Uncovers eRacist Roots of the 2nd Amendment,” NPR, June 2, 2021.
https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/1002107670/historian-uncovers-the-racist-roots-of-the-2nd-amendment
Transcript: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1002107670 Audio: <audio src="">
<audio controls> <source src="https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/fa/2021/06/20210602_fa_01.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> <br />
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio. Here is a link to the audio instead.
</audio>
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twitter.com twitter.com
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Elie Mystal writes in Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution:
There was an original purpose to the Second Amendment, but it wasn't to keep people safe. It was to preserve white supremacy and slavery. (p36)
He indicates that there are quotes from Patrick Henry and George Mason, governor of Virginia. They needed the ability to raise an armed militia to put down slave revolts and didn't want to rely on the federal government to do it.
- [ ] Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution by Elie Mystal #wanttoread
link to 1967 Mulford Act signed by Ronald Reagan see also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulford_Act
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