founders were astute enough to realize that a loosely organized
militia without cohesive leadership could not win such a war
alone. Optimistically they recruited members for one-year terms.
The war lasted seven years.
After the war ended in 1783, some Americans wondered if the
country needed a standing Army and, if so, how large it should
be. After all, the immediate threat was over. The issue was on the
table, although not in any great detail, at the 1787 constitutional
convention in Philadelphia, where representatives from the
thirteen states convened to ratify a proposed Bill of Rights to the
US Constitution.
James Madison broached the subject in his Federalist Paper #46.
He did not question the need for a standing Army. He was more
concerned with the size. Numbers vs. need became an ongoing
debate in Army circles as the country grew and prospered,
especially as each war ended.
Photo Credit US Army ARMY 245: Call to Duty 55