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Difficulty: MediumThe Revolutionary War: Military and Diplomacy

Source: George Washington, letter to the President of the Continental Congress, September 24, 1776.

"To place any dependence upon Militia, is, assuredly, resting upon a broken staff. Men just dragged from the tender Scenes of domestick life; unaccustomed to the din of Arms; totally unacquainted with every kind of military discipline, which is only to be acquired by time in camp, when opposed to Troops disciplined and appointed with every necessity, who fight for a pay, and are officers by merit and long service, they are filled with apprehension and dread. . . . If I was called upon to declare upon Oath, whether the Militia have been most serviceable or hurtful upon the whole; I should subscribe to the latter."

Which of the following was a primary challenge faced by the American leadership during the Revolutionary War that is best reflected in the excerpt?

  1. The difficulty of establishing and training a disciplined, long-term professional army.Answer
  2. B
    The centralization of federal military control under the Articles of Confederation, which abolished state militias.
  3. C
    The colonial trade embargoes and shipping crises resulting from the implementation of the Stamp Act.
  4. D
    The legislative gridlock between the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties over wartime military spending.

Answer

The difficulty of establishing and training a disciplined, long-term professional army.
The correct answer is correct because George Washington's letter explicitly criticizes the reliance on temporary, untrained state militias and highlights the need for a disciplined, long-term professional army (the Continental Army) to effectively counter the highly trained British forces.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source text to identify George Washington's primary concern.
George Washington argues that relying on local militias is unreliable and that militia troops lack the discipline and training of professional soldiers.
This establishes the core problem Washington is addressing—the instability and lack of discipline in the military forces.
2
Connect Washington's concern to the broader challenges of the Revolutionary War.
The Continental Congress struggled throughout the war to recruit, fund, and maintain a standing professional army (the Continental Army) because of decentralized governance and short-term enlistments.
This contextualizes the quote within the military history of the period.
3
Evaluate the options to find the one that matches Washington's concern and is historically accurate.
The option highlighting the difficulty of establishing a disciplined, long-term professional force directly aligns with the text, while the other options contain chronological errors or constitutional misconceptions.
This confirms the correct choice and eliminates the distractors.

Key Concept

Challenges in military mobilization and professionalization of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
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Topics

The Revolutionary War: Military and Diplomacy

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