Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 293-306). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1991. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-131). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.)--Ball State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Mar. 25, 2010). Research paper (M.A.), 3 hrs. Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-41).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1913. / Vita. Published also as Studies in history, economics and public law, vol. LIV, no. 2, whole no. 133.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Columbia University, 1915. / Issued also without thesis note. Reproduction of original from Harvard Law School Library. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1983. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 553A-561).

No description available.

Research into the background of the Second Amendment is hampered by its relationship to the current highly emotional debate over gun control. Many otherwise useful secondary sources either ignore the issue completely or give accounts which reflect the controversies of the twentieth century rather than those of the eighteenth. Fortunately, however, the Americans of the revolutionary era wrote extensively about the subject. With independence, the Americans were faced with the problem of organizing and controlling a defense establishment. The new nation was virtually defenseless: the Continental Army was disbanded and the militia, after years of neglect, emasculated. During the decade following the War for Independence, many unsuccessful attempts were made to revitalize the militia and thus prevent the establishment of a professional army. With the adoption of the Constitution in 1787, military affairs reached a turning point. The central government was granted almost unlimited power to rise a standing army without any firm mandate to reform the militia. In an attempt to prevent this and assure that the people would continue to control the military power of the nation, the Second Amendment was adopted as a part of the Bill of Rights.

The research problem examined in my thesis is stated clearly in the title: Justice Brennan and The Bill of Rights. In my examination, I relied primarily on Brennan's opinions, and secondarily, on scholarly commentaries authored by Brennan and others. I located the cases through a combination of sources. Initially, I consulted the Harvard Law Reviews' "Supreme Court Term, (1956-1981) Term(s)," which is published annually in its November edition, and then, I turned to the writings by, and about, Brennan my findings show that Brennan's approach in these cases has evolved over the years toward a more absolutist one.