When North American colonists protested British parliamentary measures in the 1760s and 1770s, they drew upon a rich tradition of political thought. One particularly virulent strand of opposition rhetoric informing their thinking came from a group of English writers known as Commonwealth men, who emphasized that concentrations of power in government were dangerous, especially the concentration that came from a standing army, which they warned could be used against the free subjects of a state. These ideas resonated powerfully in the colonies after the French and Indian War (1754–1763) as Parliament began reforming its imperial policies. Patriot leaders associated the British army with conspiracies and corruption and claimed that the army was at the center of a plot by Parliament to deprive Americans of their liberties and enslave them. When redcoats were stationed in Boston and civil-military conflicts increased, militant patriots saw it as evidence...