Good quote and thanks for posting.
But, reading it, and assuming it is accurate after being passed down through 200+ years, it almost seems the context must be wrong because we know that what our forefathers feared most was “government” and particularly “runaway government”. Indeed, the primary purpose of the Second Ammendment, most of us feel, is to stand up to the government and, in times like Bunkerville, “NOT obey executive Power”.
Perhaps John Adams and Thomas Jefferson weren’t of one mind on this issue.
By “executive power,” John Adams was not referring to the President. (You can see the details of his lengthy effort in *Defence of the Constitutions* here: http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/adams-the-works-of-john-adams-vol-6#toc [warning: the HTML takes a long time to download] ... searching for key terms “militia” and/or “sacred maxim”.)
He was referring to the need to maintain the democratic-republican establishment, that we duly-elect civilian authority -— the principle that the sovereignty of the people and decisions of that sovereignty, are exercised thru our duly-elected representatives assembled.
Instead of the authority over the exercise of martial power, being a clique of politicians, or a clique from society, or a clique of news criers, or vengeful individuals, or particularly “popular idols” (usually an agent of and/or funded by one of those syndicates).
The militia organization has usually been by town and/or county and then by state -— meaning, the militia are made up of the “citizen soldier” closest to the people who find some comfort by that proximity of heart and spirit, in addition to finding some comfort in the obedience of the militia, to duly-elected civilian authority.
“The obedience of the militia, to duly-elected civilian authority” is part of the meaning of the words, “well-regulated.”
“Well-regulated” includes among its concept and practices, both “well-trained to Arms” and adherence to duly-elected civilian authority.
It is unfortunate that we have fallen out of the practice of periodically assembling the town and/or county militia which would then demonstrate on the town commons or county [fair-] grounds, the proper keeping and bearing of Arms. Especially as that is something, that young people need to see -— the discipline and maintenance of it .