When they titled the Preamble with We The PEOPLE Of The United States of America did they really mean We The People And Alien Enemies Of The United States Of America.
The 2A reads:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the PEOPLE to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Did they really mean…..A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the PEOPLE And Alien Enemies to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Shouldn’t common sense tell us the that “PEOPLE” is synonymous with CITIZENS as used by the Framers in the context of the Constitution?
If PEOPLE and alien enemies are synonymous why can’t alien enemies buy guns and vote?
The Founders were not opposed to immigration, but they were quite leery of 'foreigners' corrupting and changing America into something they did not want or intend. They had a large new country to populate and it would require immigration to accomplish that. They wanted the USA to be a refuge for the oppressed and persecuted of other countries but that did not mean that they did expect standards for those who immigrated here and especially those who would become naturalized citizens.
". . .
Alexander Hamilton wrote that: “the influx of foreigners must, therefore, tend to … change and corrupt the national spirit,” he was not writing about immigration (the act of moving to a new land) but rather about naturalization (the process of becoming a citizen). This statement was part of Hamilton’s argument for requiring foreigners to live in America for five years before they could apply for citizenship and gain the right to vote. He concluded his argument with this statement:
“Some reasonable term ought to be allowed to enable aliens to get rid of foreign and acquire American attachments; to learn the principles and imbibe the spirit of our government; and to admit of at least a probability of their feeling a real interest in our affairs. A residence of at least five years. . ."
". . .Similarly,
James Madison said that we should invite “the worthy part of mankind to come and settle amongst us,” that the goal of this invitation was “to increase the wealth and strength of the community,” and that those not adding to the wealth and strength of the community “are not the people we are in want of.” In all of these statements, Madison was speaking of naturalization and not of immigration. In fact, Madison introduced these statements with the explanation that:
“When we are considering the advantages that may result from an easy mode of naturalization, we ought also to consider the cautions necessary to guard against abuses.”. .
And it is important to remember there was no welfare or charity of any kind deemed constitutional by the Founders. All who came were expected to be able to feed, clothe and house themselves etc. when they arrived. And uncontrolled immigration was not a good thing.
". . .it was Madison who said (paraphrasing here) what we allow immigrants by favor, not right. This means they don't have any right to be allowed to enter. We have the obligation to protect our nation and serve its interests first. . ."
When we return to the original writings of the founders, we can see two extremely important points about immigration that are often overlooked by modern scholarship on both sides of the debate.
www.increasinglearning.com
