Jango may be problematic for some, but

[ashling]

it successfully points to one of the reasons for the 2nd Amendment: southern fears of slave rebellions.

[Lionessa]

1. I believe the timing of the second amendment would NOT

suggest that it was about "southern fears of slave rebellions" since all states still had slaves, so it would've been all 13 colonies/states.

Trying to blame the south for the second amendment is ludicrous. Slavery concerns, as well as occupation hopes against Native Americans were obvious, as well as concern about being armed against any other nation intending to occupy a new, wet behind the ears USofA.

[ashling]

3. There was certainly slavery and violent racism in the north,

however, slavery was declared unconstitutional in Massachusetts in 1781 and the 1790 census indicated that there were no slaves in Vermont. There was also limited suffrage for freed blacks in some northern states at this time.

I did not mean to imply that slavery only existed in the South. However, in most northern states it was nowhere as prevalent as it was in the south. Since that is the institution which is addressed in the movie, I confined my remarks to the sout.

Also, I only pointed to this as one of the reasons for the Amendment. As you point out, there were certainly others. Again, the movie does not deal with those and so I did not address them in my post.

I want to be clear that I am not "trying to blame the south for the second amendment' and I respectfully suggest that any attempt to color my post as doing so is, indeed, "ludicrous."

OK, now, you have vented and I have vented.

Again, you are perfectly correct that there were other issues behind the amendment. I was only speaking to the movie. I should have taken more care to point this out as well as to preface my post with more than "some may find fault."

[Lionessa]

6. But not exclusive to the south as the OP intends to finger point.

Granted southerners have earned their reputation, but at the time of the 2nd amendment, slavery was nationwide, and other concerns were evident as well. I didn't at any time say it wasn't a reason, I said it wasn't fair to blame it on southerners. Why doesn't anyone seem to actually read responses before they react. Had you read, you'd've seen that I clearly list it as one of the reasons and yet you respond as though you're arguing... I guess your response is what I've heard referred to as agreeing disagreeably.

[Lionessa]

8. Well, thank you for your honesty showing you respond to poster, not post nor principle.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Good bye

[Tutonic]

2. ?????? I believe that Django--the "D" is silent was set in the mid 1800's. The 2nd Amendment

was ratified around 1791. The 2nd Amendment points to a belief that the U.S. Patriots were to be armed against further English tyranny and sedition. Also I'm wondering how a fictional movie created in 2012 could successfully point to the reason for adoption of a Constitutional Amendment centuries before. Other than the occasional uprising I don't think that there were significant fears in the south regarding slave rebellions in the mid 1800's. By this time the southern slave owners were fully armed and prepared for the next Nat Turner. You make a very broad leap in tying an 18th Century law to 19th Century acts--as if the federalists predicted a century before that in the coming century the salves would turn rebellious. When in fact, that was not part of their thinking in adopting the 2nd amendment. There may be lessons learned form watching a fictional movie about slavery--that the 2nd amendment was created to curb slave rebellions is not one.

[ashling]

4. Django with a D - I stand corrected.

However, I do not think that I was at all out of bounds in referring to the entire continuum of the issue of slavery. One of the jobs of a historian is to make connections. History is more than the things that can be empirically shown to have occurred in the past or the story of those things having happened. It is largely our interpretation of that past in a way that we can understand it and apply it to our present and future. In that sense, it is largely about connections and relationships.

There is a strong thread running through this story from Nat Turner to the Django story, to the present. I am certainly not suggesting that the 19th century acted upon the 18th. However, that the issues of the 19th stem from those of the 18th is undeniable.

Perhaps I could have been more clear.