The Professionalization of the American Army through the War of 1812

The American military tradition stretches back to the militia of England. The English colonists brought a tradition of militia service and a fear of standing armies to America. Once in America, the colonies formed their own militias, using them for defense and then later for offensive operations. At the time of the American Revolution the American colonies had to combine the militia with an army. The fear of a standing army hindered the Continental Army, and then later the American Army, from being an effective force. By the time of the American Civil War, this had changed. There was a standing army as well as thousands of trained officers. When did the transformation of the American military from a citizen based ideal to a professional force occur? Many historians point to the decades between 1820 and 1840 as the years when the army professionalized. This thesis proposes that the War of 1812 was the defining event that spurred the professionalization of the American Army. To achieve this, the American military tradition from the earliest colonists to the mid-eighteenth century is explored. This thesis divides these two hundred and fifty years into eras. Several authors’ works are compared in each era to assess the state of the army and how it had changed from the previous era. The requirements of a professional army, the transformation of the army’s organization, and the attitude of the American people will be analyzed in order to determine what sparked the professionalization of the American Army