Soldier-Citizens and Citizen-Soldiers: Spiritedness and the Constitution

Rebecca Burgess discussed the impact of the Constitution on spiritedness and the unique role of soldiers and citizens to defend it. This event is sponsored by the Jack Miller Center. About the Lecture: Soldier-Citizens and Citizen-Soldiers: Spiritedness and the Constitution - The Founding generation was famously concerned about the dangers to liberty that a standing army could pose. Less well remembered is how that generation’s general ambivalence about professional soldiers along with the government’s inability to pay them resulted in soldiers besieging Congress in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, demanding redress. Congress fled to Princeton. But the “Pennsylvania Mutiny” resulted in long-lasting effects for both the nation’s civilians and military: It showcased significant cracks in the Articles of Confederation government, helping set in motion the Constitutional Convention and the inclusion of a constitutional provision for Congress to support federal armies and a navy. Later on, Alexis de Tocqueville would observe that “it is through the soldiers above all that one can pride oneself on having a democratic army pervaded by the love of freedom and respect for rights that one was able to inspire in the people themselves.” This lecture will consider the ties between the US military and the Constitution, and the mutual contributions of soldiers and citizens to defend their Constitution. About the Speaker: Rebecca Burgess is senior editor of American Purpose, acting director of the Classics in Strategy and Diplomacy project, and an SME consultant for the George W. Bush Institute's Veterans and Military Families program. A visiting fellow in national security with the The Independent Women's Forum, she is a 2021 National Security Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. She’s an Advisory Board Member of Combined Arms and of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation/Monticello, and a SME for the NEH Educating for American Democracy: A Roadmap for Excellence in History and Civics Education project. Additionall