In this episode, I articulate the historical reasons that standing military forces were considered despotic in the British tradition, and why the British constitutional system warded against them explicitly. I cover the military occupation by British forces in 1768, the constitutional ramifications of a standing army in peacetime, and the development of patriot boycotts of British products. While many of the histories of this time portray the antagonist against the British as a tax revolt, the open condemnation of standing armies reveals that there were other factors that created a schism between two different parts of the British Empire.
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Other recommended reading(s):
–Mercy Otis Warren, History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution
–Peter Oliver, Origin and Progress of the American Revolution: A Tory View
–Murray Rothbard, Conceived in Liberty
- Today in History: Newly Independent American States Sign Treaty of Alliance With France - February 6, 2024
- Thomas Paine: A Lifetime of Radicalism - October 3, 2023
- Thomas Paine Played Dodgeball With Death - September 23, 2023