The Army is about to stage a Washington parade. The Framers would be dismayed.

The United States Navy is in the Constitution. The United States Army is not.

Next month there will be a military parade in Washington D.C. Whether this is a wise use of public funds can be debated, but such parades are not incompatible with democracy. On Bastille Day, France holds a military parade through Paris. In Copenhagen there are two annual military parades -- one to honor the Danish flag, another to salute the throne.

According to Defense News, the Washington parade will feature 28 enormous M1 Abrams tanks plus dozens of other armored vehicles. Metal plating will be put down at intersections so the treads don’t chew up pavement.

The Washington parade will be billed as the 250^th anniversary of the founding of the United States Army.

And therein lies a tale – because the Navy was created by the United States Constitution. The Army was not.

The Framers were deeply suspicious of standing armies. While the Army has served the nation well in two world wars, the Constitution was written by people who hoped the United States would not have a permanent army.

This essay will use capital-A Army to mean United States Army, capital-N Navy to mean United States Navy.

The Army began as the Continental Army, on June 14, 1775, via resolution of the Second Continental Congress, representing what was then the United Colonies of North America. George Washington was named to head the Continental Army, which was immediately dispatched to Boston to lay siege to English encampments.

In 1775 there was active fighting against British forces, especially in Massachusetts, but independence would not be declared for another year.

Some delegates to the Second Continental Congress hoped disputes with London could be settled.

Photo by Bruce Warrington on Unsplash

In July 1775, a month after establishment of the Continental Army, the Second Continental Congress voted out the Olive Branch Petition. This document offered King George III peace and loyalty if the patriots’ grievances were addressed. Not taking that deal would prove the worst mistake in British history.

At one juncture the Continental Army became the Legion of the United States, before settling on its present name, United States Army, at the end of the 18^th century.

The Continental Marines, formed in 1775 as the amphibious branch of the Continental Army, later would become the infantry of the Navy. Today the Marines have their own seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but are more closely aligned with the Navy than their former patron the Army.

The Constitution specifically creates the United States Navy, at Article One, section 8, clause 13: “The Congress shall have Power… to provide and maintain a Navy.”

Note: the Constitution has the quirky capitalization of its time.

In clause 12, authority for a land force is conferred, but with a different flavor: “The Congress shall have Power… To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years.”