Susana Aguinaga
HIST 1301-702
October 6, 2014
James Kirby Martin, Mark Edward Lender. A Respectable Army: The Military Origins of the
Republic, 1763-1789. Harlan Davidson, Inc., 1982.
“A Respectable Army: The Military Origins of the Republic, 1763-1789”, is an
informative book on American history that was written by authors James Kirby Martin and Mark
Edward Lender. This text is the second of the two successful volumes written by Martin and
Lender that go beyond traditional history aspects. The authors make a point in analyzing
prominent events that have occurred in history, rather than just recounting the events in a
condensed form. The text includes analysis of The Battle of Lexington and Concord, The
Republican War, and etc. As Americans, these are events that most of us have either learned
about in History class, or have heard about at some point in our lives. One thing for sure is that
greater sense of critical thinking can be obtained from reading “A Respectable Army: The
Military Origins of the Republic, 1763-1789”.
Both authors, Martin and Lender, have a background as history professors and authors.
To start off, Martin is currently a Professor of History at the University of Houston (UoH) and
has written numerous books involving American History, including “A Concise History of
America and its People” and “Drinking in America: A History”. Lender is currently retired from
his profession as a History Professor and Chairman of the History Department at Kean
University (KU). Lender was also an author for “Drinking in America: A History” (in
collaboration with Martin) and “This Honorable Court: The United States District Court for the
District of New Jersey”. Moreover, it may be noted that both men have obtained their Bachelors
of Arts (B.A) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in American History. Furthermore, Martin and
Lender are also long-time historians, as can be indicated by their professions and academic
history.
Martin and Lender point out their thesis in the Preface of their book, stating that we have
to “move beyond the deeply ingrained national mythology about the essence of the war effort, so
neatly personified by the imagery of the embattled freehold farmer as the quintessential warrior
of the Revolution.” (Preface XII) In other words, they believe that it was mercenary soldiers that
led the Americans to their Revolutionary victory, not the citizen-soldiers like the public so often
believes. It is being inferred that propaganda may have occurred in that instance, which would
not be far-fetched. Although the thesis can be hard to distinguish, with it being that they’re trying
