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Pros and cons of the military draft
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Pros and cons of the military draft
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The Draft in the USA The draft is a taboo subject in America, but regardless of its controversy it is a subject that must be examined. The daft, however rash, is essential for America in case of a national emergency. Many people in this age of America lack patriotism for their country. Of course, many citizens ignore the fact that they are living in one of the only countries that offer you freedom and the choice to succeed as far as you want. However, “Of those to whom much is given, much is required” (Mackenzie) and all that is asked of you in America is to give yourself to her when asked. Many people would not risk their lives for America. That is when the government should put a call to action and reinstate the draft to insure the safety of American citizens. The people that oppose the draft believe that it segregates the poor from the rich and it cuts America right down the middle. “…poor blacks, Hispanics, and rural whites should not serve so disproportionately in the ranks of the military and that those in the ‘upper classes’ should also serve…” (Akil) the opposed believe it’s unfair to decide by wealth. They believe that if the draft is to be reinstated it should not be in regards to race, wealth or any discriminatory trait. The draft may be prejudiced but it doesn’t mean it is not needed. There are many flaws in it, but there are also flaws in government, society, in every individual. These flaws are fixable, and in the future they will be corrected now Am...
World War 1 began in 1914, and because Great Britain was involved, Canada found itself pulled into the war as well. At the beginning of the war, Borden promised never to force men to fight. However, by 1916 the Allies found their situation had taken a turn for the worse, and were in desperate need of new soldiers. Canada’s Prime Minister, Robert Borden, was an imperialist. He desperately wanted Canada to be seen as an equal by Great Britain, and believed that providing large numbers of Canadian troops may accomplish this. However, as word of trench conditions and number of casualties reached home, fewer and fewer men were volunteering to be sent overseas, knowing that they would likely never return home. By 1917, Borden had only one unused
..., the draft ended and the U.S. converted to an All-Volunteer military. Many people were not in high spirits about the Vietnam War, and thought we should not be involved in it. Lyndon Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, laments “[w]e are not about to send American boys nine or ten thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves” (Vietnam-Facts.info). There is a popular picture of a draft protests sign displaying the words “hell no, we won’t go.” I do believe Americans should have a right to choose to go to war or not. Many young men lost their life fighting a battle they didn’t even have faith in. Many soldiers endured personal hardships, loss of income, and leaving family behind. Most of drafted soldiers complied with the draft and served; however, many middle to high-class young men found ways to avoid combat.
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...
serve, were arrested. The draft would lead to protests and riots due to its faults.2
During the First World War, Canada suffered a great conscription crisis that divided the nation. The French-Canadian nationalists, led by Henri Bourassa, opposed conscription and felt that they were fighting an English war, and therefore felt no obligation to fight. The vast majority of those who enlisted during the age of voluntary recruitment were Anglophones; in contrast, very few Francophones volunteered to fight. On 17 May 1917, Prime Minister Robert Borden announced that military service was to become compulsory among men of fighting age of all classes. French-Canadians protested; however, despite their best efforts, the Military Service Bill came into effect. The protest eventually led to lengthy riots. Following this, Canada became
But in 1980, President Carter reinstated the draft in a way, stating all men born after January 1, 1960 were require to register with Selection Service, but this was not reinforced after about he of 1986. Today, the question is debated about whether or not we, as Americans, should reinstate the draft. Those in favor of reinstating the draft argue that our country would be safer, those drafted would learn important lifelong lessons and build characteristics that today’s generation has lost, and Americans would learn to appreciate more, something our society has forgotten. Those who oppose the draft argue that there would not be many, if any, families that are not military based and have to worry about loosing people in their family. Reinstating the military draft is
Many obstacles have to be conquered in the struggle for freedom, one of which often includes war. It is human nature to strive for success and as a means to better themselves, countries often participate in war and put up arms to get what they believe will benefit them. But when sheer military power doesn’t match the strength of a government’s desire to win, trouble presents itself. It is in these times that alternative methods must be implemented in order to attain the results sought after. When regarding military size or lack thereof, governments can opt to enforce the policy of conscription to increase their participation in war and in turn, increase their post-war influence. Conscription, or compulsory service is the mandatory enlistment of citizens to serve the country militarily. In both the First and Second World Wars, Canada has enacted military service conscriptions to support the war efforts. The conscription debate drew attention to the underlying problems of the growing country such as the political rights of immigrants and women, language education needs and the divide between Anglophones and Francophones. Although they differed, the conscription crises in Canada’s past helped to define Canadian history and contributed to the shaping of our country as a whole.
I chose the selective service act and draft for many reasons. One was because during these times many Americans felt that there rights were being taken away because all men between the ages of twenty-one and forty-five, had to register in the military. I see this as taking rights because those who didn’t want to go were either put in jail or charged a big fine for bail of their jail time. That is why I believe that the draft and selective service interfered with Americans rights and responsibilities. Making it a big historical event in which the government inflicted on the rights of all American who participated in these drafts and selective service acts.
Rich, Alex K.Moreno-Riano, Gerson. "Draft Vs. Volunteer Army: An Overview." Points Of View: Draft Vs.
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 ...
Some people say that women should be in the draft because nowadays, men and women should be considered equal. With the advancement of equality in the American society, these people argue that the armed forces should not be excluded from the growing new reputation America is trying to get. Hence, those who support women being apart of the draft argue this point. According to “Update: Women in the Military”, women have become way more involved in the army (1). From this, supporters of women joining the draft argue that their involvement in the draft should also reflect on their increasing involvement in the army. However, those who are opposed women being apart of the draft argue that equality within men and women is an unrealistic mindset. This is proven in the New York Times with Catherine Rampell’s when she writes “Women earn 92.2 cents on the dollar of what men earn” (1). This is a statistic from 2011 that shows people that complete equality between men and women has still not fully been reached. Furthermore, those opposed women and the draft argue that if America has not completely reached full equality within the genders, then neither should the army. Both of these articles bring up good points about why women should either be in the draft or not in the draft.
An accountant might not be very great at shooting an aiming, but he will help the government budget the money to purchase more guns and weapons. Then again, a renound marksman would be better in combat, or even someone who went to a state shooting event and won over the whole state. Any one in shooting sports in fact! They'd be good at aiming and hitting. Someone with people skills could communicate for the army, but maybe she can't do the technical stuff of getting radio signals enough to make the phone calls and emails. The draft eliminates the ability for Americans to choose, and they are forced to serve in the military, when if they had a choice they might pick something still very helpful, but not dangerous or completely obnoxious for them. By reinstating the draft the government would kill the freedom of choice, everyone has a relatable skill set that could in some way benefit the government or military. So if the draft did come back, maybe they could change it so you can pick which job you'd like to train
If there was a draft, there would be a lot more men and women out there fighting to keep our country safe so that we can continue to lay down at night and not be afraid of what might happen to us when we do. Our military is strong, but if there was a specific number of men joining every year or so, our numbers would be higher, therefore increasing our strength. Being in the military is something to be proud of, and those that join on their own are good people, but anyone that goes out and fights, draft or not, is still a good person and should have our respect. Most people see commercials on television about the armed forces and think that it might be a good thing to go do, I know I have, but some might not put any more work into it after they see it the first time. Having a draft would get rid of that part of them that doesn’t want to get up off the couch and
...hletes recruited to attend college come from lower, working-class families. The opportunity to enter the draft early to help their families financially is one that will hardly be passed by.