The Preamble of the United States Constitution establishes one of the responsibilities of government is to “ensure domestic tranquility.” This broad and somewhat elusive phrase was written to address a very real and, to many, threatening event: Shay’s Rebellion, a revolt of Massachusetts farmers who in 1786 took up arms against the state government in hopes of stopping foreclosures on their farms. The rebellion was short-lived and many of the perpetrators were captured or escaped into the wilderness. However, this event was on every delegate’s mind at the Philadelphia Convention in the summer of 1787 when the Constitution was written. The framers hoped the power they proposed for the federal government would adequately address any future rebellions.
In addition to establishing a federal government with the power to raise a military for domestic as well as foreign attacks, the Constitution also (through the First Amendment) provides a pressure valve to dispel most of the discontent Americans can feel from time to time. Also, there are open elections, where citizens can ‘vote the rascals out of office” when they feel they aren’t being represented fairly. And if matters truly warrant a major change in the way the government operates, there is the amendment process as outlined in Article V of the Constitution where citizens can propose changes to the way government operates.
Despite the best efforts of the Constitution’s framers, Americans have little apprehension toward rebellion when things aren’t going their way. U.S. history is replete with examples of individuals purposely disrupting the domestic tranquility in order to express their displeasure with the government or organizations who they disagree with. The Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790s; the South Carolinian battery attack on Fort Sumter in 1861; the anarchist bombings in New York and Los Angeles between 1910 and 1920; the Oklahoma City bombing; and the 2001 anthrax attacks to name a few. Domestic terrorism has been a part of American’s DNA since the republic began. And during that time the government has taken steps, sometimes controversial, to protect citizens from “homegrown terrorism.”
Since the 9/11 attacks, there has been an increase in the number of domestic terror incidents and arrests. The people and groups range from eco-terrorists to anti-abortionists, white supremacists and anti-government militias to animal rights activists. In a free society as ours, freedom cuts both ways. The First Amendment allows people to express and publish radical opinions and openly meet with likeminded people. They can oppose other’s political ideas, oppose the groups themselves, or even oppose the U.S. government, as long as their actions are within the law. The other side of freedom guarantees anyone accused of unlawful action the Fourth Amendment protection of privacy, the Fifth Amendment guarantee of due process, and 14th Amendment assurance of equal protection under the law. Thus, all Americans are faced with the difficult task of balancing civil liberties while trying to “ensure domestic tranquility.”
