Is a standing army dangerous to liberty?

OCR: 7 cited passage(s) are machine-read (OCR) text of old printings; quotations reproduce the stored OCR text, misreadings included.

Reporter's notes: some cited speeches survive only as a reporter's shorthand record, not the speaker's own text.

1. WHAT HE SAID (the record)

Record ledger

• BELIEF (1776-05): George Mason believed that standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty, as stated in his original draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. (key quote above) [1]
• BELIEF (1776-06-12): George Mason believed that standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty, as stated in the Virginia Declaration of Rights. "XIII. That a well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defence of a free state ; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided, as dangerous to liberty ;" [2]
• BELIEF (1787-09): George Mason believed that standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty, as he explicitly mentions this danger in his objections to the Constitution. "nor against the danger of standing armies in time of peace." [3]
• BELIEF (1788-06): George Mason believed that standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty and ought to be avoided as far as the circumstances and protection of the community will admit. (key quote above) [4]
• ACTION (1788-06): George Mason proposed that no standing army or regular troops shall be raised or kept up in time of peace without the consent of two thirds of the members present in both houses. This shows that he considered standing armies potentially dangerous to liberty and sought to impose a high threshold for their establishment in peacetime. "That no standing army or regular troops shall be raised or kept up in time of peace without the consent of two thirds of the members present in both houses." [5]
• BELIEF (1788-06-03; reporter's paraphrase): George Mason believed that a standing army is dangerous to liberty, arguing that once established, it leads to the loss of people's freedom and citing historical examples to warn of the danger. [6]
• BELIEF (1788-06-03; reporter's paraphrase): George Mason believed that a standing army was dangerous to liberty, particularly when combined with extensive civil powers. He argued that the President's command of both the army and fleet, without sufficient control, posed a significant threat to the people's liberty. "The liberty of the people had been destroyed by those who were military commanders only. The danger here was greater by the junction of great civil powers to the command of the army and fleet." [7]
• ACTION (editor's note) (undated; editor's note, not his words): The editor's note reports that in the twelfth article of George Mason's draft, he advocated for a well-regulated militia as the natural and safe defence of a free State and pronounced standing armies dangerous in time of peace. "standing armies are pronounced dangerous in time of peace" [8]
• ACTION (editor's note) (undated; editor's note, not his words): The editor's note reports that George Mason appreciated a phrase in the Fairfax County Resolutions regarding the militia and standing armies, which was later used by Patrick Henry in his resolutions two months later. The note does not specify an exact date for Mason's appreciation of the phrase. "George Mason, with his vein of sarcastic humor, was the person to appreciate this 'exquisite bit of argumentative irony,'" [9]

What cuts against it

• The contrary-evidence entries are already in the record ledger above: [8].

2. HOW IT APPLIES (reasoning; inference is marked)

1. George Mason consistently expressed the belief that standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty. [6] [10] [11] [4] [3] [1] [5] [2] [12] [7]

2. He argued that a well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, is the proper and safe defense of a free state. [4] [1] [2]

3. Mason feared that the concentration of military and civil powers in the hands of the executive could lead to tyranny. [7]

4. He proposed high thresholds for the establishment of a standing army in peacetime, requiring the consent of two-thirds of the members present in both houses. [5]

5. The editor's note indicates that Mason appreciated the argumentative irony in the Fairfax County Resolutions, which emphasized the militia as a safeguard against standing armies. [9]

3. HIS TAKE

Record coverage: DIRECT

Extrapolation: George Mason believed that standing armies are dangerous to liberty, especially in time of peace. He argued that a well-regulated militia, composed of the people, is a safer and more natural defense for a free state. He feared the concentration of military and civil powers in the hands of the executive and proposed high thresholds for the establishment of a standing army in peacetime.

Competing readings: None.

Confidence: High, based on multiple direct statements and actions from Mason regarding the dangers of standing armies and the importance of a well-regulated militia.