Revolutionary War

Barely ten years after the end of the French and Indian War, the colonists were at war with the British and the militia was poised to play a crucial role in the revolution. Most of the regiments of the Continental Army, commanded by former militia colonel George Washington, were recruited from the militia. As the war progressed, American commanders learned how to make use of citizen-soldiers to help defeat the British Army.

When the fighting moved to the southern states in 1780, successful American generals learned to call out the local militia for specific battles, to augment their full-time Continental troops. At the same time, these Southern militiamen were fighting a brutal civil war with their neighbors loyal to the King. Both the Patriots and Loyalists raised militias, and on both sides, joining the militia was the ultimate test of political loyalty.

Americans recognized the important role played by the militia in winning the Revolutionary War. When the nation's founders debated what form the government of the new nation would take, great attention was paid to the institution of the militia.

The framers of the Constitution reached a compromise between the opposing point of view of the federalist's and anti-federalists. The federalists believed in a strong central government and wanted a large standing Army with a militia firmly under control of the Federal government. The anti-federalists believed in the power of the states and small or non-existent regular Army with state controlled militias. The President was given control of all military forces as Commander-in-Chief, but Congress was provided the sole power to raise the taxes to pay for military forces and the right to declare war. In the militia, power was divided between the individual states and the Federal government. The Constitution gave the states the right to appoint officers and supervise training, and the Federal government was granted the authority to impose standards.

In 1792, Congress passed a law which remained in effect for 111 years. With a few exceptions, the 1792 law required all males between the ages of 18 to 45 to enroll in the militia. Volunteer companies of men who would buy their own uniforms and equipment were also authorized. The Federal government would set standards of organization and provide limited money for weapons and ammunition.

Unfortunately, the 1792 law did not require inspections by the Federal government, or penalties for non-compliance with the law. As a result, in many states the "enrolled" militia went into a long decline; once-a-year musters were often poorly organized and ineffective. Nevertheless, during the War of 1812, the militia provided the infant republic's main defense against the British invaders.