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Saul Cornell, who had been scheduled to talk about his work on the Second Amendment on November 1st, cannot make it. We are very happy, however, to announce that we have Christian Vieweg, who will discuss his own work on the militia in Colonial and Revolutionary Virginia. Dr. Vieweg's talk is sure to appeal to the same audience, as it illuminates the issues surrounding the Second Amendment to the Constitution. An abstract of Dr. Vieweg's award winning dissertation follows. We hope to see you there!
Thursday, November 1
2 pm
Faculty Conference Center
The George Washington University Law School
“To Keep and Bear Arms: Armed Political Power in Virginia, 1648-1791”
This study is a deeply researched examination of military policy in Colonial and Revolutionary Virginia and an investigation of the ideological and empirical origins of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. It explores the “original” political context and “intent” of the amendment, which was written largely at the behest of and by Virginians during the 1788 Ratifying Convention. The central issue (and predominate concern) was federalism; specifically, the respective sovereignty of the state and national governments over the power of the sword. At bottom, the Second Amendment brokered a compromise between two conflicting perspectives over how armed political power should be constituted and exercised within a federation of state republics.
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