The Founding Fathers warned that peacetime standing armies were a threat to liberty. They feared professional militaries could be used by tyrannical governments against citizens and preferred a citizen-militia. To prevent abuse, the Constitution restricts army funding to two-year intervals. The founders' aversion to standing armies was heavily influenced by British history, specifically when Kings Charles II and James II used professional soldiers to suppress Parliament and civil liberties. This fear was so pervasive that it directly led to specific constitutional constraints and grievances in founding documents: · The Declaration of Independence: Thomas Jefferson directly condemned the King of England for maintaining "among us in times of peace standing armies without the consent of our legislatures" and rendering the military superior to civil power. · The Constitution's Two-Year Clause: In Article I, Section 8, Clause 12, the Constitution grants Congress the power to raise and support armies, but explicitly states "that no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years." This structural limit forces Congress to regularly debate and re-authorize military funding. · Federalist Paper No. 8: Alexander Hamilton warned that perpetual danger or disunion would necessitate standing armies, which would ultimately cause the "military state" to be "elevated above the civil". He noted this constant threat degrades civil liberties and citizen importance. · Sentiments on a Peace Establishment: George Washington expressed similar reservations, noting in 1783 that a large standing army in peacetime is "ever considered dangerous to the liberties of a Country," although a small force was necessary for border protection.