The following is in response to a post that contained this image entitled, "The Greatness of America & Patriots Then & Now". It also shows how little people actually fact check things before they post them; as this quote I do believe is widely reported to be a hoax. Even bearing that in mind, it is nice when you can find where part of the quote in question originally came from.
I hate to tamp down everyone's enthusiasm for this quote, but I think the majority of its content is fraudulent. The first portion of it is most certainly Washington though; as it is taken from his first State of the Union Address. (Which despite popular conception: is not required to be spoken, and used to be printed.)
The full text is this:
"A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies."
Which is taken from this:
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Or if you prefer to see it in its original printed form, you can see it here:
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(Personally, I think citing that kind of argument in present day times is a bit farfetched; as I don't believe anyone is presently in danger from "certain hostile tribes of Indians" in the western or southern frontiers... or anywhere else in our nation for that matter... in fact if a modern day politician were to refer to them as Indians they would probably be publicly crucified for it.)
Now this quote could potentially mean the same thing, but its language is less clear cut than as it is constructed above.
It is also worth noting that this was before the United States had a standing army, and so part of the reason that it was important for people to have arms at that particular point in time was due to the fact that they might be called to defend the country in a time of war; as was necessary during the revolutionary war with the continental army.
(Although Hamilton moved to establish a permanent army with the support of Washington in the late 1790's; an act that was opposed by members of the Democratic-Replublican Party among others. Of which, perhaps most notably was John Adams; the Federalist elected President at the time of the conflict; a move that eventually led to his loss of the office in the forthcoming election.)
The quote above is actually more commonly cited to Thomas Jefferson (although the fact that it borrows so heavily from Washington, and does not have any credible citations to Jefferson's various public writings: leads me to believe that is a fake.); which is much more in keeping with his perspective on the people's right to defend themselves from their own government. (A point of view that was no doubt shaped by our country's dealings with England prior to and during the Revolutionary War.)
More to that point, he believed that a nation's desire to having a standing professional army ran counter to the freedom of the people of that country, stating, "Standing armies [are] inconsistent with [a people's] freedom and subversive of their quiet.", and, "Nor is it conceived needful or safe that a standing army should be kept up in time of peace for [defense against invasion]."
You can find more properly cited quoted from Jefferson on the subject here:
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And there are plenty of quotes from other "Founding Fathers" that give some sense that they did not view the second amendment as a protective right against governmental persecution; with the aforementioned John Adams stating in "A Defence of the Constitutions of the United States" that,
"To suppose arms in the hands of citizens, to be used at individual discretion, except in private self-defense, or by partial orders of towns, countries or districts of a state, is to demolish every constitution, and lay the laws prostrate, so that liberty can be enjoyed by no man; it is a dissolution of the government. The fundamental law of the militia is, that it be created, directed and commanded by the laws, and ever for the support of the laws."
And before you lay waste to John Adams, might I remind you that his writings are some of the most used when supporting the influence of Christianity in our countries foundation. With quotes like,
“Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People in a greater Measure than they have it now, They may change their Rulers and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty. They will only exchange Tyrants and Tyrannies.”
Such is the conundrum of anyone wishing to cite the "Founding Fathers" in their support of a resolution to any modern day debate or conflict: since they were as differing in their perspectives as people are today, and nary a one of the perspectives from our country’s founder will ever satisfy all of your arguments.
And that is in its essence the "Greatness of America". The ability to compromise and to come to a resolution that benefits all people and that does not embody one particular perspective or idea. To this point, the Constitution itself was commonly referred to as a "bundle of compromises" at the time of its writing. (Which should give anyone pause when they try assert the infallibility of that document.)
Even the so called "Founding Fathers" recognized it as an imperfect document, with Thomas Jefferson stating,
"This constitution was formed when we were new and unexperienced in the science of government. It was the first too which was formed in the whole United States. No wonder then that time and trial have discovered very capital defects in it."
It is partially due to this fact that we are called upon (by the men that strove to create our country) to, as Americans, not view the Constitution as a perfect document whose tenants should never be challenged, but rather to obey the current laws of our nation and continuously revise and update them with the passage of time.
This principle is perhaps most eloquently encapsulated by the words of the man whose picture resides at the top of this post, George Washington, in his farewell address,
"The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government. But the Constitution which at any time exists, till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people, is sacredly obligatory upon all. The very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish government presupposes the duty of every individual to obey the established government."
