Would You Commit an Injustice If It Made 100 People Happy?

The protection and preservation of this newly established nation are vital to the liberty and welfare of its citizens. In order to achieve this and maintain it for longevity, a standing army is necessary. Through the powers stated in the new constitution, this army will be controlled by the executive branch of government, but has checks on their power by the legislative branch. There are many reasons to maintain an army for the Union, including protection from foreign powers, but more importantly, domestic defense against factions, rogue states, or small confederacies that have formed a rebellion.

An army’s main purpose is the defense of its citizens and land. The United States, being a newly formed nation, is currently weak and susceptible to attack from foreign nations. Without a standing army, if an attack or invasion from another power were to happen, it would take far too long to call for local militias from each state, organize them, and get them to where they are needed in time to combat any threat. As stated in The Federalist Papers: No. 8, “The art of fortification has contributed to the same ends. The nations of Europe are encircled with chains of fortified places, which mutually obstruct invasion... Similar impediments occur at every step, to exhaust the strength and delay the progress of an invader.” Currently, America lacks both the fortifications and the garrisons needed to slow the progress of an invading army. If this were to happen now, an enemy force would gain vast land before a proper militia could be formed. This army will not be one of such size and magnitude that it has the power to overrule the populace and restrict liberty. It will only be the proper size in order to provide the appropriate defenses until the militia arrives. The standing army will act as a cushion to foreign invaders. Although they may be tyrants to the people of their colonies, our recent enemy, Great Britain, has found the right balance of what size army is required at home. In The Federalist Papers: No. 8, this situation is described: “A powerful marine, guarding it in a great measure against the possibility of foreign invasion, supersede the necessity of a numerous army within the kingdom. A sufficient force to make head against a sudden descent, till the militia could have time to rally and embody, is all that has been deemed requisite.” There is no need for masses of troops within each town. The citizens of the United States are free and do not need an occupying force, just a defensive one.

Violent factions and rebellion are another threat that this nation will face in its future. Our country has already seen this happen with the uprising in 1786. Shays’ rebellion proved that our current form of government is weak and could not provide the funds or the men to thwart the events in Massachusetts. This is a major reason why there are discussions to enact this new constitution. If the country continues with a system that places a focus on states instead of a unified nation, certain states may seek to separate from the rest or attempt to take over neighboring ones. If this were to happen, a national army would be the most efficient option for stopping the violence of dissenting states. The army will not be used to restrict the freedoms of states and will not occupy our cities and towns as the tyrannical British did. Another factor to consider is if a state of a small confederacy of states were to rebel, there would be possible intervention from foreign powers. As stated earlier in The Federalist Papers: No. 7, “…America, if not connected at all, or only by the feeble tie of a simple league, offensive and defensive, would, by the operation of such jarring alliances, be gradually entangled in all the pernicious labyrinths of European politics and wars.” Foreign countries would seek to use these rebellions to further dissuade our nation. This ties directly to the first point of why we need a small professional standing army. Their purpose is clear: to defend its citizens from enemies inside and out of our land.

The opposition to a standing army will state that the executive power will hold the authority necessary to become tyrannical, one who violates the rights of U.S. citizens. They fear that this standing army will carry itself just as Britain once did. However, through the writing within the constitution, there have been many checks put in place to ensure this cannot happen. These checks were derived from the writings of Montesquieu. This constitution places the army under the command of the executive branch, but the funding and the power to declare war falls to the legislature. With these rules in place, it makes it impossible for one man to use the army against the people. The size of the army will never be greater than the size of the civilian population, that way if an incident were to occur, this army, under the command of a tyrant, would not have the means necessary to successfully rule over the U.S.

As stated throughout this writing, the reasons for maintaining a small, yet effective, standing army are vital to the success and longevity of our nation. The army will protect the citizens by preventing other nations that wish to destroy the liberty and peace that this nation has fought so hard for. They will ensure that no rebellion or state may take control of the nation and rule the people with an iron fist. The authors of the Constitution have written it in such a way to prevent any possible method for an army to seize the nation and guarantee the freedoms and protections to the people of the United States of America.

Bibliography

Baron de Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, The Spirit of the Law, 1748.

Bianco, William T., and David T. Canon. American Politics Today. 6th ed. New York: W.W.

Norton & Company, 2019.

Constitution of the United States, 1788.

Hamilton, Alexander, James Madison, and John Jay, The Federalist Papers, 1787-1788.

The Anti-Federalist Papers, 1787-1788.