Alexander Hamilton The Necessity Of Government

The United States is a nation that was created from war. America’s first war was fought for independence from Great Britain and is arguably the proudest victory in history for Americans. Our key freedoms may have been thought of in the mind of our founders, but they were won on the battlefield. The United States has since then become one of the freest countries in the entire world. No other country’s military could come close to the greatness of the United States’ military. Today, many Americans have expressed immense support for their military. Americans look at their soldiers as exemplars of patriotism and bravery. The reason America has a standing army is because of the Federalists’ belief that military provisions are an unfortunate reality

The American military has always worked hard to maintain peace, while still being prepared for war if that time comes. As the Federalists conveyed, we cannot predict when an attack is going to come, and a single, unified force is much more forceful than independent forces. Alexander Hamilton explains in his essay, “The Necessity of a Government as Energetic as the One Proposed to the Preservation of the Union,” why he believes standing armies are crucial for defending the country, “...it is impossible to foresee or to define the extent and variety of national exigencies, and the correspondence extent and variety of the means which may be necessary to satisfy them” (the Penguin Group, 1961, 153). If this was true at that time, how much more true could it be today as strife between nations seems to be flourishing? As America’s power grows, our use of military forces abroad has become increasingly critical. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour during World War II, it caused huge destruction and shock for America (“World War II”). A nation like ours could not afford to continue to sit back and watch the war, especially after such an aggression from the Japanese that threatened the security of the nation. When America declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States (“World War II”). The forceful and prepared American military rushed to Europe to dominate the Germans and Italians, with the help of the other Allies (“World War II”). After a victory in Europe, America’s next step would be to combat the Japanese (“World War II”). America came out of the war triumphant which could not have happened without an undivided, capable army (World War II”). As John Jay pointed out in his essay Federalist No. 4, a unified government can apply its resources and power to whatever problem arises, easily and effectively, which is exactly what