Disorderly Conduct Quotes



At one level this quotation shows that Congress made the rules and regulations of the armed forces and not the Commander in Chief or the General Officers. But the quotation is important for several other reasons. First, it is the first federal attempt to regulate alcohol and drinking. It is also what we would regard today as a severe infringement of freedom of speech. Politically, it was very hard for any member of Congress not to support legislation to prevent blasphemy. But these and other examples of over a decade of the Continental Congress legislation persuaded most Americans that Congress was not to be trusted to protect their rights and there was a real need for a Bill of Rights so that much of the early activity of the Continental Congress would not continue.