“To raise and support Armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;” Article 1, Section 8, Clause 12 US Constitution
“A truly successful army is one that, because of its strength and ability and dedication, will not be called upon to fight, for no one will dare to provoke it.”
Ronald Reagan, Address to the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, May 27, 1981
The decision to have a standing army in the Untied States was a very controversial decision for the Founders. In the writing of the Constitution and founding of this country, the Founders respected the history of the past and tried to learn from it and apply proven principles. This gave the Founders a higher margin for success. Other countries that wanted to have a free type of government threw out history and learning from the past to start something “fresh” and “new”. With no foundation, this is often unsuccessful. This was shown by the French Revolution, which occurred in the same era of history as the American founding. One reason that the French Revolution was unsuccessful was that it had no solid foundation.
In looking toward history, the Founders knew the danger of a standing army. It is a well-known principle that he who controls the army controls the government. The Founders felt that a standing army was a dangerous threat to liberty. Historically, they saw the example of Julius Caesar marching his provincial army into Rome, overthrowing the Senate, destroying the republic, and laying the foundation for his empire. In England, Oliver Cromwell used the army to abolish Parliament and rule as a dictator.
In their own lives, they had seen the British Crown forcing the American colonists to house and otherwise support their troops. The colonists saw the British Army as an occupying force. Under British law, the King had the power to raise an army and to act as its commander-in-chief. The Founders did not want the executive branch to have the power to raise an army.
On the other hand, the Founders were aware of the dangers that other countries posed to the new republic. They were also aware that there could be internal rebellion.
The solution became that the Congress would have the power to raise and fund the army. The writers felt that the Congress was the branch that would be the closest to the people and would follow the will of their constituents. This grants immense military power to the Congress. It can draft citizens into the armed forces and require them to obey military law. It can obtain the equipment and supplies necessary to allow the army to function.
With the decision to give the power of raising and supporting the Army given to Congress, they then decided that the money to fund this should never be appropriated for longer than two years at a time.
With the Army clause, we the people give Congress the authority to raise armies, pay for them, and conduct total war.
The benefit to we the people is that we have assurance that armies are available when needed; and that our representatives, who should be the people most in tune with our local needs and situations, control the armed forces.
The link below is to a song from the 1940’s – You’re in the Army Now.
Enjoy!
Here is the Army Unofficial Song:
References:
Findlay, Bruce Allyn and Findlay, Esther Blair. Your Rugged Constitution. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1950
Hannaford, Peter. The Quotable Ronald Reagan. Washington, DC: Regnery Press, 1998
http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/52/army-clause
Reclaiming the Shining City 