"What, sir, is the use of a militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. Now, it must be evident, that, under this provision, together with their other powers, Congress could take such measures with respect to a militia, as to make a standing army necessary. Whenever Governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise an army upon their ruins."
React to this quote
More by Elbridge Gerry
See allResonant Thoughts
"The Empty Quarter offered me the chance to win distinction as a traveller; but I believed that it could give me more than this, that in those empty wastes I could find the peace that comes with solitu…"
"Machinery of a very beautiful kind has been contrived for copying accurately, on a reduced or an enlarged scale, both medals and statues. The itself could not be justly excluded from a purely industri…"
Explore Further
Related Quotes
"..even MSJ readers will tire of watching Bill Gates adjust his glasses."
— Paul DiLascia"People think there's some real subversive thing playing against whoever it is; a lot of it is just people w…"
— Lily Tomlin"The NRA is the most important organization protecting our rights to defend ourselves and our democracy in A…"
— Sebastian Gorka"This morning, the Justice Department announced the conclusion of our investigation and released a comprehen…"
— Eric Holder"If there is going to be class warfare in this country, it’s time that the working class of this country won…"
— Bernie Sanders"If it's illegal to rock and roll, throw my ass in jail!"
— Kurt Cobain