Summary
It is at least necessary to construct a constitution of equal power to the
Articles of Confederation, which means a government that preserves
the common peace, regulates commerce, and oversees relationships with foreign
countries. Each job granted to the government should be granted along with the
power to effectively carry out that job.
The national government is the logical choice to provide for common defense
because it has the best understanding of the dangers that represents the whole
nation so that it's concern extends to each part of the nation, and that has the
ability to act uniformly.
The framers of the Articles of Confederation also believed that the
unified government should provide for the common defense. However, the
Confederation Congress failed to do so because it was given the responsibility
of providing for the common defense without the power to do so. The unified
government's only power existed through quotas and requisitions from the states.
This failed because the responsibility was split from the power.
When the power to equip and fund a defense rests in the body that has the
responsibility to do so, the responsible body will be able to provide for the
common defense. There can be no restrictions placed upon a government's power
to provide for common defense, as there is no way of knowing what kind of future
threats may arise.
The threat to national security exists from Maine to Georgia, and an attack on
the borders of one state is like an attack on all the states. If each state
provided for its own defense, a state like New York will be burdened more than
others. Furthermore, if an individual state does not provide adequate
protection, then the entire nation is put in danger. If an individual state
provides more than necessary and amasses more power than its neighbors,
interstate tensions and jealousy could result in each state trying to out-do the
others in military power. Competition could also arise between state military
and national military.
The critics of the U.S. Constitution express concern about
standing
armies during times of peace. This should not be a concern because the
legislature, as representatives of the people, are the ones to control the army
and therefore cannot threaten the rights of the people without the people's
approval. Furthermore, the clause that requires Congress to approve funding for
only 2 years at a time will force the people, through their representatives, to
vote frequently on the standing armies.
