at the end of the revolutionary war, a political atmosphere developed at the local level where the militia was seen with fondness, despite their spotty record on the battlefield. typically, when the militia did act well was when the battle came into the locale of the militia, and local inhabitants tended to exaggerate the performance of the local militia versus the performance of the continental army. the continental army was seen as the protector of the states, though it also was viewed as a dominating force over the local communities. joseph reed, president of pennsylvania viewed this jealousy between the militia forces and the standing army as similar to the prior frictions between the militia and the british regular army a generation before during the french and indian war. tensions came to a head at the end of the war when the continental army officers demanded pensions and set up the society of the cincinnati to honor their own wartime deeds. the local communities did not want to pay national taxes to cover the army pensions, when the local militiamen received none.