Patrick Henry made this statement in his speech at the Virginia Ratifying Convention. The purpose of the speech was to explain why he opposed ratifying the Constitution without a Bill of Rights.

Question

Patrick Henry made this statement in his speech at the Virginia Ratifying Convention. The purpose of the speech was to explain why he opposed ratifying the Constitution without a Bill of Rights.

Quotation taken from a 1788 speech by Patrick Henry at the Virginia Ratifying Convention. It says, Have we the means of resisting disciplined armies, when our only defense, the militia, is put into the hands of Congress?
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Why did Patrick Henry make this statement at the Virginia Ratifying Convention?

To support the idea that Congress would be better at managing a military than the people would

To support the idea that the people need a right to bear arms as a means of defending themselves

To emphasize the importance of state militias in international conflicts

To emphasize that Congress would be poor at managing a national military

I will likely not respond, but I will do anything

Answer 1

And your answer is?

Answer 2

Patrick Henry made this statement at the Virginia Ratifying Convention to emphasize the importance of the people having the right to bear arms as a means of defending themselves. He was expressing his opposition to ratifying the Constitution without a Bill of Rights, which would specifically protect individual liberties including the right to bear arms. By questioning whether the people would have the means to resist disciplined armies if the militia, which was their only defense, was put into the hands of Congress, Henry argued that it was essential for the people to have the means to defend themselves against any potential threats, including a potential government that could become tyrannical. His statement underscores his belief that the people's right to bear arms was necessary for their protection and as a check against possible governmental abuse of power.