It was 1941 and the game of baseball was at an all-time high in the eyes of the American public. During the 1941 major league baseball season the fans of game knew they witnessed two things that would go on to be very special. First Joe DiMaggio reached a feat that very well may never happen again, hitting safely in 56 consecutive games. Then Ted Williams went on to finish the season with a batting average of .406, marking the last time a player has finished the season with a batting average over .400. As baseball blossomed, the American people began to take notice, as the sport was a source of entertainment every day for a six-month span. At this time in 1941, something else that was a lot more important than baseball was also grabbing the attention of the American eye. In Europe there had been a war going on since 1939 as Germany had successfully invaded Poland and Japan was on a mission to take over Eastern Asia. Many of the American people were wondering as the Japanese began to make moves in gaining territory throughout the Pacific if there was going to be a time when the United States joined in combat.
In response to growing concern, on September 16, 1940, President Roosevelt signed off on the Selective Training and Service Act. The Selective Training and Service Act required every American male between the ages of 21 and 35 to register with their local draft boards. The United States was in full swing preparing a defense program “to ensure the independence and freedom of the United States.” There were no exceptions when it came to registering for the draft. If one were a male between the ages the Selective Training and Service Act required, regardless of profession they would be registered and ready to fight if the day c...
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... then some. Following the war, Major League Baseball’s attendance gradually increased as the years went on. From what I have concluded, Major League Baseball was able to survive the Second World War by the game being used as a source of morale and a way to escape from the concerns of war. Baseball also had to find ways to stay in the American public eye during the time of war as the game was losing many supporters. By way of the formation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and the use of unique tactics to keep the game afloat, baseball successfully remained in the public eye. World War II came and went and for a moment in time it seemed as if Major League Baseball would be just another casualty at the hands of the war. However, that was not the case as Major League Baseball was able to gain many more supporters as the war ended and life went on.
In 1951, the Yanks continued to enjoy success. However, as they welcomed in rookie newcomer Mickey Mantle, they lost Joe DiMaggio to retirement and Whitey Ford to the military for two years of service. With Ford off fighting the war, the pitching staff as a whole lowered the team ERA by more than half a run per game and also doubled th...
In the first two sections, the author provides different reasons why the working-class youth ended up in the military. Many working-class people have ended up in the military because of their patriotic culture and poor economic background. Many working class youth ended enlisting themselves because they can’t afford going to college or lack of employment. The author also tells us that the “Selective Service System” is class-biased. The rich youth took advantage of the healthcare exemption, employment and college deferment. The working-class youth can’t afford to go to college or get medical exemption. The attempt to use unskilled and unemployed youth in the war seems unfair to author. Draftees from the American territories, African Americans, sons of blue-collar workers and farmers were the highest percentage of not only the enlisted men but also the wounded and deceased men. Appy also explains that men who were enlisted were given bonuses which are equivalent to the one-third of median family income of African American families during the war time (Appy 22). Author also provides a statistics that high school drop-outs were three times more likely to get enlisted than college graduates. A...
The American military draft was put into affect in 1940 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act. The draft was a system that was an involuntary requirement of those who were of age and proper health. Young American men between the ages of eighteen and twenty five who were in good health and of a stable mental state were required by the government to register. These men would register with the Selective Service therefore they could be found easily in a time of need. The draft required these young men to sign up to serve their country involuntarily because it was to benefit the country, to make it easier to respond and protect in a time of war or crisis. In 1973,
The New York Yankees of 1927 were a high-powered machine lead by some of the greats of all time in baseball. This baseball team was composed of seven Hall of Famers, six players including: Earle Combs, George Herman (Babe Ruth), Lou Gehrig, Herb Pennock, Tony, Lazzeri, and Waite Hoyt, and their Manager, Miller Higgins. (New York Yankees Hall of Fame Register, 70) The team had a no-mercy philosophy and had a sense of confidence exceptionally high noted by Babe Ruth: "It was murder, we never even worried five or six runs behind. Wham! Wham! Wham! And wham! No matter who was pitching." The 1920's were an "economic boom for Americans. Now people had more time on their hands with the inventions such as the car and other household products. Those who chose not to be swept up in the Jazz revolution chose to lose themselves in sporting events during the '20s. (Marshall, 1) The newfound confidence propelled the 1927 Yankees to embody the spirit of the 1920's.
Under United States draft law, certain guidelines must be followed to allow men to be...
Many people in the 1960s and early 1970s did not understand why the United States was involved in the Vietnam War. Therefore, they had no desire to be a part of it. The Selective Service System, which was used to conduct the draft, had aspirations of directing people into areas where they were most needed during wartime. However, people took advantage of the draft system’s deferment policies to avoid going to war. Others refused induction or simply did not register. There were also people who left the country to escape the draft. The Vietnam War proved to be an event that many Americans did not agree with, and as a result, citizens took action to elude the draft entirely or to beat the draft system.
Rich, Alex K.Moreno-Riano, Gerson. "Draft Vs. Volunteer Army: An Overview." Points Of View: Draft Vs.
Baseball, America’s pastime, is embedded in the fabric of society. The players and teams have come and gone, but the thing that remains constant is baseball’s ability to unite people as well as families. My own personal experience of this came right after September 11th, 2001. Following the tragedy that was 9/11, the country needed something to help everyone return to normalcy. In our moment of weakness and uncertainty, baseball helped calm my nerves. Fifty three thousand three hundred and twelve brothers stood up in unison and took back their lives. The electricity of that game, the sense of regularity in my life, and the knowledge that millions of people were finding comfort together with me during such a hard time, helped me feel a sense of closure that the worst was behind us.
Over forty years has passed since the United States inducted the last draftee through the Selective Service System. The Selective Service System is an independent agency of the United States, which gives the President the right or power to conscript men for military service. There have been different Acts passed by congress since 1917 that require men of various ages to register for service. Although, the name of each Act and the age requirements of the registries changed, the Acts were all similar in nature. They all gave the President the right to call men to war when he deemed necessary. In January 1973, Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announced the creation of the all-volunteer service, retracting the need for the draft (GAO.gov). Under current law, all men between the ages of 18-25 must register within 30 days of their 18th birthday, however this information is used mostly for recruitment purposes and in case of any future crisis. There has been much controversy over this matter since the Vietnam War, when people started to realize the draft was unfair due to loopholes and draft exemptions making the draft unfair for working men. At one point in time the military draft may have been necessary, but today’s all-volunteer military has eliminated the need for a draft.
The Conscription Act delivered the final straw in the long list of discrepancies, the catalyst that turned that small forest fire into a raging inferno of hate and fear. The white working class (mostly Irish immigrants) were infuriated, they couldn’t understand how they, white, hard-working voters were being punished. The government was forcing them to fight a war they didn’t support and the only way they could avoid it was to pay 300 dollars (a years wages for most), yet they would pay African Americans 1,000 dollars for volunteering. The new federal draft conditions also expanded to include a wider age range of men it would take. “The conscription law targeted men between the ages of 20 and 35, and all unmarried men up to age 45.” Adding to the already high tensions of laborers, since the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation they ...
Conscription, also known as drafting, is a practice that requires mandatory enlisting into any of the branches of the armed forces. This practice has been adopted by the United States at the very least two times before and from what I can remember during World War II and the Civil War conscription was being practiced. Nowadays conscription is not practiced in the United States because there isn’t a need for it. Now, if you want to join the army you can do so by volunteering. However, there are people who believe conscription should be brought back. Some people believe that the drafting of younger people might help these young people develop useful skills and cultivate a sense of unity and national pride. Although all of these are valid reasons,
Baseball. A word Americans have known for almost 200 years. All throughout the years, the sport has produced numerous famous heros for little kids like me. One of those heros, probably one of the most famous athletes ever, Babe Ruth. Babe made baseball, baseball, he put a twist on the game that nobody has ever seen, and probably will never be seen again. Before baseball players broke records from cheating and steroids, there was a man so special he did it on “beer and hotdogs”, which is now the two most popular bought foods at at a baseball game. Babe could do almost anything on the field, weather that's pitching, or fielding or hitting. Babe’s strugle’s at an early age are believed to have helped him perform better, as he let all his anger
For the first part of this paper you need some background on how the draft worked throughout our history (as Americans), and how it was socially perceived amongst the citizen of this great nation. For more than fifty years now we have had a peacetime military draft. "President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 which created the country's first peacetime draft and formally established the Selective Service System" (about.com). We have been very lucky that the military draft has only been used twice now, once for W...
Tim O’Brien finds himself staring at his draft notice on June 17, 1968. He was confused and flustered. O’Brien does not know how or why he got selected for the draft. All he knew was that he was above the war itself, “A million things all at once—I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, to everything. It couldn’t happen” (41). He was also demented on the fact that he, a war hater, was being drafted. He felt if anyone were to be drafted it should be the people who supported the war. “If you support a war, if you think it’s worth the price, that’s fine, but you have to put your own precious fluids on the line” (42). His draft notice was when he first carried his thought of embarrassment. He instantly thought if he does not support the war he should not have to go to war. The only way not to go to war was to flee the country so the draft council could not find him. He had a moral split. “I feared the war, yes, but I also feared exile” (44). This quote is so true in young adults, not only then, but also now. Peer pressure, the thought of being embarrassed if we do not do something, pushes many young adults to do things they do not want to such as pushing Tim O’Brien to enter the draft. The thought of being judged ...
Baseball was first introduced into the American culture, by English immigrants in the early 18th century, and its popularity slow grew. It wasn’t until the Civil War the popularity of the game spread, and both Union and Confederate soldiers played baseball during lulls in the fighting. After Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, soldiers from both the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederate) and the Army of the Potomac (Union) played baseball. (Schackelford Jul 4, 2009) This was the beginning of the American people love of Baseball began. It was also the first mention of baseball being the national game. During the bloodiest war in our countries history Baseball was there to help the two sides heal. It was another fourteen years till 1879 when Football would be invented.