NCJ Number
168792
Date Published
1996
Length
249 pages
Annotation
This book discusses the formation of militias in contemporary society, their roots in the American past, their views, and the controversies surrounding them; it assesses where they fit within the American constitutional and legal system and provides information that contributes to the debate regarding the necessity of forming citizen militias and allowing them to operate.
Abstract
The first chapter provides an overview that places militias in the context of historical developments that date from the American Revolution. From this perspective, the militias are not an aberration, but are another manifestation of the violence and paranoia that has long marked American politics. They also reflect an ideology that dates from Revolutionary society which holds that the protection of liberty relies on an armed and vigilant citizenry. The second chapter provides a chronology that covers militias in early America and since World War II, followed by a chapter that presents biographical sketches of people prominent among modern militias, that is, either founders or persons who have greatly influenced the movement. Another chapter contains primary material that is intended to give the reader a sense of the thoughts and actions with militias and among those who have monitored and criticized them. The fifth chapter lists organizations involved in the militia scene, both those opposed to the militias and the militias themselves. The last two chapters provide numerous print and nonprint resources that will give the reader a starting point from which to further investigate the militia movement. The book concludes with a glossary of terms commonly used by those who study or participate in militias, along with a subject index.