“ For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well organized and armed militia is their best security. ”
Thomas Jefferson, State of the Union Address (8 November 1808). copy citation
| Author | Thomas Jefferson |
|---|---|
| Source | State of the Union Address |
| Topic | freedom weapons security |
| Date | 8 November 1808 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/5012/5012-h/5012-h.htm |
Context
“By the aid of these and of the armed vessels called into service in other quarters the spirit of disobedience and abuse, which manifested itself early and with sensible effect while we were unprepared to meet it, has been considerably repressed.
Considering the extraordinary character of the times in which we live, our attention should unremittingly be fixed on the safety of our country. For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well organized and armed militia is their best security. It is therefore incumbent on us at every meeting to revise the condition of the militia, and to ask ourselves if it is prepared to repel a powerful enemy at every point of our territories exposed to invasion.” source
Considering the extraordinary character of the times in which we live, our attention should unremittingly be fixed on the safety of our country. For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well organized and armed militia is their best security. It is therefore incumbent on us at every meeting to revise the condition of the militia, and to ask ourselves if it is prepared to repel a powerful enemy at every point of our territories exposed to invasion.” source
Meaning and analysis
