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Swiss pikemen in the 1600s were armed with enormously long spears called "pikes". The pikes were about 10-15 feet long, and razor-sharp. The pikemen would march in square formations, and could turn to face in any direction.
When the pikemen were attacked by cavalry, the pikemen would plant the butts of the spears in the ground and angle the pikes at about a 30 degree angle.
From a cavalryman on a horse, the appearance must have been like a giant porcupine with steel quills, but only if the formation remained intact. If any of the pikemen were to retreat, the horsemen could easily break through. So pikemen were urged to "Stand your ground" - i.e. do not retreat from combat. Each pikeman protected every other, and for one man to retreat could result in defeat. Pikemen and archers regularly defeated armies of armored knights, and ruled the battlefields until the development of firearms.
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Verb Phrase
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Which phrase does not come from the Preamble to the Constitution?
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