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What are militias in history?
A militia (/mɪˈlɪʃə/) is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of regular, full-time military personnel; or, historically, to members of …
What were militias used for?
In basic form, the militia was the community under arms: all able-bodied free men under a certain age (later limited in most states to white men) were obligated to serve. A combination of both military unit and police, they were often the only way for governments in early America to exert force.
What were colonial militias?
Militias were the main colonial military organization for defense, but they were only part-time and very nonstandardized or professional. As events around Boston became more tense, many communities in Massachusetts began to create more elite companies of minutemen.
What exactly is a militia?
is that militia is (in particular) an army of trained civilians, which may be an official reserve army, called upon in time of need, the entire able-bodied population of a state which may also be called upon or a private force not under government control while military is armed forces.
What does the name militia mean?
a select militia composed of a small, non-representative portion of the population, maritime militias composed of fishermen and other participants of the marine industry which are organized and sanctioned by a state to enforce its maritime boundaries. Militia derives from Latin roots: -itia /iːtia/ : a state, activity, quality or condition of being
What does militia mean?
militia noun. An army of trained civilians, which may be an official reserve army, called upon in time of need; the national police force of a country (e.g. Russia, Ukraine, etc.); the entire able-bodied population of a state; or a private force, not under government control. Etymology: From militia, from miles.
What war first used militia?
Indeed, these militias played a key role in the French and Indian Wars, including the primary one taking place concurrently with the Seven Years War between the years 1754 and 1763. During these periods, militias organized by towns were also the pool from which the Provincial Forces were drafted. This was, in fact, a rare occurrence.