The Struggle for American Independence: A Standing Military Presence

In this episode, I articulate the historical reasons that standing military forces were considered despotic in the British tradition, and why the British constitutional system warded against them explicitly. I cover the military occupation by British forces in 1768, the constitutional ramifications of a standing army in peacetime, and the development of patriot boycotts of British products. While many of the histories of this time portray the antagonist against the British as a tax revolt, the open condemnation of standing armies reveals that there were other factors that created a schism between two different parts of the British Empire.

WATCH

Other recommended reading(s):

Mercy Otis Warren, History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution

Peter Oliver, Origin and Progress of the American Revolution: A Tory View

Murray Rothbard, Conceived in Liberty

 

Tenth Amendment Center

The Tenth Amendment Center is a national think tank that works to preserve and protect the principles of strictly limited government through information, education, and activism. The center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of state and individual sovereignty issues, focusing primarily on the decentralization of federal government power as required by the Constitution. For more information visit the Tenth Amendment Center Blog.