Madison wrote the bill of rights drawn largely from a document addressing the rights of a citizen in Virginia. So his ideas were not those of a single man but of a general opinion of the citizens at large. Madison looked at the roots of the Revolutionary War. First act of the British to silence dissidents and to punish the Americans was to send troops to occupy Boston because pamphlets were being printed there that challenged the British King and Parliament. It was abundantly clear that without a free press to speak the voice of the people, freedom could not flourish thus the 1st Amendment. Then the British troops in Boston marched to Concord to confiscate a believed cash of arms. There the troops killed some citizens and the shooting started. It was abundantly clear that an unarmed citizenry could be quickly subjugated if they had no means of protecting themselves. This was 2nd Amendment.

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Last edited by pooch; 06/15/17 03:37 PM.