Federalist No. 8

The Consequences of Hostilities Between the States

Alexander Hamilton

Tuesday, November 20, 1787

In Federalist No. 8, Hamilton warns of standing armies and the military establishment. “Standing armies, it is said, are not provided against in the new Constitution; and it is therefore inferred that they may exist under it.” Hamilton argues that standing armies and the military establishment should be viewed as a necessary evil and that a United States would guard against the situations from which authoritarian military constructs arise.

First Hamilton looks at the European continent and the circumstances surrounding the armies of the time.

“The disciplined armies always kept on foot on the continent of Europe, though they bear a malignant aspect to liberty and economy, have, notwithstanding, been productive of the signal advantage of rendering sudden conquests impractical, and of preventing that rapid desolation which used to mark the progress of war prior to their introduction.”

Further, Hamilton highlights that European countries have fortified their border towns. The country side is littered with forts and garrisons each meant to obstruct invasions from neighboring countries. It is from evaluating the European standing armies and fortifications that Hamilton draws this conclusion about the new era of war.

“The history of war, in that quarter of the globe, is no longer a history of nations subdued and empires overturned, but of towns taken and retaken; of battles that decide nothing; of retreats more beneficial than victories; of much effort and little acquisition.”

The European continent was, and still is, a conglomeration of smaller countries, each independent. Throughout history these countries had warred with each other tracks of land or grievances. Each country stood up large armies and fortified their borders in an effort to repel invasion. Instead of achieving peace, these countries ended up warring over border towns, each gaining and then losing control. Hamilton saw this as a warning for the States. Dis-United, the States would find themselves in positions similar to European countries. Each neighboring State would be a presumed adversary. Jealousies of smaller States would encourage the development of standing armies and fortifications in defense against larger neighbors. Those larger neighbors would, no doubt, respond with like measures to ensure their own security. In total, the result would be large standing armies and the constant fear of invasion.

With each State having their own standing armies, and the constant fear of invasion, it becomes only natural that the population would begin to see the military not only as protectors but as superiors. It is under these circumstances that liberties and freedoms are more readily relinquished in the name of safety.

“Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct … The violent destruction of life and property incident to war, the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty to resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe, they at length become willing to run the risk of being less free.”

Under a United States, the army of the United States would be much larger than any State army but would be smaller in proportion to the people of the United States. To Hamilton, the benefit to the people of the United States of a smaller army in proportion to the population was;

“The army … may usefully aid the [government] to suppress a small faction, or an occasional mob, or insurrection; but it will be unable to enforce encroachments against the united efforts of the great body of the people.”

In this way, the people would see the army as a protector against outside aggression without elevating the soldiers to a level of superiority over them. The threat against a United States would be far smaller, as the European continent was an ocean away, and their colonies in North America were not formidable enough to pose a real threat. 

Uniting the States under the US Constitution, for Hamilton, was the surest way to persevere liberty and minimize the tendency of standing armies to tend toward authoritarianism.