In the militia, socioeconomic classes precluded militia service.

Seamen, unemployed, “nomadic” workers were common groups in the militia.

Later, city militias were often led by the youth of the upper class.

Civil-Military Relations
Military forces often try to maintain civilian control.
Civilians viewed the state as an oppressive force.
Civilians thought the military was the greatest civil threat.
There was a distrust of standing armies as tyrannical instruments.
In Europe, there was a history of the use of military to suppress dissent.
Citizen-soldiers were thought superior because they had something worth fighting for.

Natives V Colonists
From 1622-1644, there existed a set of conflicts collectively called the Tidewater Wars.
The TW Ws occurred in Virginia, starting when there was a sudden, brutal native attack.
Roughly twenty percent of the colonist population was killed.
This resulted in a war of attrition, and panic-induced retaliation and retribution prevailed.
The captured natives were sold as slaves, and this was the first total war for the natives.
Pequot War occurred in 1637 and came to a head at Pequot Fort on Mystic River.
The colonists, with the aid of native allies, attacked and burned fort, killing most inside.
This represented a near-genocide of the Pequot people.
In 1975-76, a Native confederation led by King Phillip engaged in combat with the
colonists, a conflict called King Phillip’s War.
This lead to a brutal massacre of the Native populations, and ended as a near-genocide.
The loss of only a few militia men could lead to devastating effects on their community.
Soon the possibility of more profit and the present prosperity caused the Crown to step in.

Imperial Wars 1689-1763