National Guard

The National Guard is a military organization staffed by part-time members who are trained to supplement the active military. On occasion, the National Guard has been called to active service to assist the civil authorities in cases of natural disasters or riot situations. The United States has a long history of not using the military to enforce the law or to police the civilian community. This tradition was codified with the passage of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 (18 U.S.C. 1385), which ended the use of the military in policing southern states during the Reconstruction Era. However, the Act allows for the military to assist civil authorities in the case of emergency situations in which local or state governments are unable to deal with a problem. The National Guard is the military unit most often called to assist in these emergency situations.

The National Guard represents one of the branches of the U.S. military and is the oldest established military organization in the country. Organized on a state level and under the control of the state governors in peacetime, National Guard units are affiliated with the Army and Air Force. Some states also have a naval militia. A New York militia unit adopted the term “National Guard” in 1824 during the visit of the Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette, who had commanded a Paris militia unit, Guarde Nationale. The term became popular and was used to describe state-sponsored militia units. The U.S. military also has reserve components of the various branches of the armed forces that are not under the control of state governments and can be called to active duty only by the federal government.

The National Guard is a continuation of the citizen militia, which was first formed in colonial America. In 1620, the Massachusetts Bay Colony organized an armed citizen militia under the leadership of Captain Miles Standish to defend against attacks by Native Americans. Other colonies organized militia units for local area defense, and these units were called to active duty in the various wars against Native Americans and in the French and Indian War of 1754–1763. The Revolutionary War also was heavily dependent on militia units. After the Revolutionary War, the temporary nature of militia service forced the U.S. Congress to establish a regular Army on September 29, 1789. The small regular Army, however, still depended on the support of the more numerous militia units. In 1792, Congress enacted legislation to require states to establish militia companies organized into regiments, brigades, and divisions under the civilian leadership from within the military districts. The militia was to be supported by state funds when not on federal service. Many militia units often existed only on paper, with members reporting once a year for a muster. The militia served as more of a possible manpower pool rather than a prepared military force. However, some units organized themselves into voluntary units known as the Organized Militia. These units were equipped with uniforms, weapons, and military equipment, which was financed by the state government or purchased by the militia members.

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