Arguments Against The Military Draft

Ever since the early 1940s, young men across the country have been forced to enlist in the selected services. Regardless of these men’s plans for the future, it was expected of them to lay down their lives for their country. While the military draft was intended to strengthen the American army, it also strengthened the arguments made by antiwar protestors. Why should people have to die for a cause they do not believe in? This was the question numerous American citizens were asking themselves throughout the entirety of the Vietnam War. The military draft was a horribly ineffective tactic and an improper use of the power garnered by the government. On September 16, 1940, Congress passed new legislation entitled the Selective Training and Service

Any such person claiming such exemption from combatant training and service because of such conscientious objections whose claim is sustained by the local board shall, if he is inducted into the land or naval forces under this act, be assigned to noncombatant service as defined by the President, or shall, if he is found to be conscientiously opposed to participation in such noncombatant service, in lieu of such induction, be assigned to work of national importance under civilian direction.” (The Burke-Wadsworth

This comprised one third of the United States military. The conscription system also caused many men to simply volunteer for the armed forces. By choosing to join the military, these men were able to have a choice in the division they would serve. The Selective Service allowed deferments if men were planning to study areas that were deemed necessary to national security. Some of these jobs included physics and engineering. This only increased the socioeconomic inequalities present with the draft during the Vietnam era. Eighty percent of the men enlisted in the United States army came from poor and/or working-class families. An equal percentage only had a high school education (The Military