Often we forget that the US Constitution was not a product of 1776 but rather a second attempt a designing what would become the United States of America.
I'm really surprised how often I talk to people who seem totally unaware that the Constitution was revisionist in origin and designed to address the failures of the "Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union" that preceded it.
The original Articles of Confederation were drafted during the Second Continental Congress as one leg of three separate and distinct "Nation Building" efforts; steps necessary if the thirteen colonies were to ever be recognized as anything more than rebels under a legitimate Monarch. The three legs were a Declaration of Independence, a Model Treaty that would set standards of conduct in trade and relationships with other nations and the Articles of Confederation that established a working plan for a unified Federal Government.
Under the Articles almost all powers remained in the hands of the individual States except those powers specifically granted to the Congress. Only Congress could make treaties and agreements with other Nations, resolve disputes between States, Declare and make war (but there was no provision for taxation to pay for any of those). There was no Presidency, no Judiciary.
The new United States was pretty evenly divided between those who favored a strong Federal Government and those who favored a weak Federal Government but strong State Governments.
Some provisions that were included were that the new Congress of the Confederation would assume all debts and liabilities from the War and that only Congress could make or ratify any Treaties. Since the Congress had no power to raise any money except ask for the individual States to do so, or even force the members of the Congress to come meet and vote on issues, things pretty much stopped. Even the official end to the war (the Treaty of Paris) could not be signed because the members of Congress had returned home and there was no way to get them to come back.
It was that total failure under the Articles of "Confederation and Perpetual Union" that lead to the creation of a whole new government and Constitution.
The new Constitution (and the first ten amendments to that Constitution) was born during that period. There was still widespread dislike of any strong central government or the idea of any standing army. The Second Amendment reflects that position and belief that armaments should be in the hands of the individual people and not in any central government, State or Federal.
Edited by jar, : appalin grammur
Edited by jar, : rally appalin spallin
Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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