Since the United States’ founding, the national government has required that its military officers and enlisted personnel take oaths. Addressing issues of support, loyalty, diligence, and obedience, these oaths developed differently even though they were shaped by the same circumstances such as existing in a society that historically valued an oath’s effectiveness to accomplish a specific purpose. What purpose did US leaders believe military oaths fulfilled? This thesis argues that the oaths always served the same primary purpose to help sustain civil control of the armed forces. For the nation’s founders, the oaths essentially served as a symbol that embodied the republican ideal of “due responsibility.” Always connected with responsibility, however, was the issue of loyalty. Whenever the nation experienced pivotal events, such as its establishment or civil war, national leaders substantially modified the oaths to account for shifting allegiances. Ultimately, then, examining the society from which the oaths developed and the specific episodes when the oaths were created or changed, such as congressional debates, provides needed context to understand the oaths’ current significance to the nation and its armed forces. / History
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TEMPLE/oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/7657 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Euler, Peter |
| Contributors | Urwin, Gregory J. W., 1955-, Lockenour, Jay, 1966- |
| Publisher | Temple University. Libraries |
| Source Sets | Temple University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 79 pages |
| Rights | IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/7629, Theses and Dissertations |
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