Militias

History

Militias first gained attention in the colonial era during the struggle for American independence from Britain in the battles of Lexington and Concord. The Articles of Confederation originally included a provision concerning militias, and in the absence of any formal military body, the U.S. Constitution continues to allow Congress to call upon militias in times of war or impending invasion. Following the American Revolution, the Constitution's Bill of Rights stated that “a well regulated militia” is “necessary to the security of a free State.” Most acting militias are often seen as groups of radicalized people who are striving to depose the federal government and are preparing for this imminent battle by gathering and storing weapons and survival equipment. Many of these militias also have affiliations with White supremacist organizations or exhibit White supremacist ideologies themselves. The Ku Klux Klan at one time was considered a militia; they armed themselves both at the end of the 19th century and in the 1920s while traveling across the southern United States, harassing and murdering African Americans and civil rights sympathizers.

Ideology

The right to bear arms, detailed in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, is one of the principles militias espouse, citing American citizens' right to defend themselves against unwarranted government intrusion. Modern militias typically form and act in response to one body or event they see as encroaching on the independence and freedoms associated with being a citizen of the United States. Many different types of militia groups have emerged, fueled by a variety of ideologies. Among these, survivalists believe that individuals should be wholly independent of the larger economy and should be capable of protecting and sustaining themselves in the event of universal social chaos and disorder. Religiously or racially motivated groups are most frequently fueled by radicalized Christian views, often blaming the “Zionist-driven media” and government machines for government intrusions and injustices. These distinctions aside, most militia organizations engage in paramilitary training and are known to cache large quantities of weapons, ammunition, and supplies.

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