ipl-logo

Military Draft During The Vietnam War

1451 Words6 Pages

Patriotism is an apparent characteristic throughout United States citizens. However, the United States may have taken that too far through the implementation of a military draft, or conscription, during the Vietnam War. The military draft, also known as conscription, was proven to not be an effective means of building up the military during the Vietnam War. The military draft is ineffective because it leads to unmotivated and inexperienced troops, unhappy citizens, and it costs more money. The United States made a costly error of fighting in the Vietnam War with the idea that more was better when in reality, tens of thousands of teenagers who did not support the war will not perform as well as an army of professionals. This lack of experience …show more content…

With many scared of the possibility of being drafted or their friends being drafted decided to take a stand, and these protests showed just how many Americans were opposed to the draft. The number of people who went to the extreme to protest was immense, as “more than 22,000 Americans were indicted for draft law violations between 1965 and 1975. Of this total, 8,756 were convicted of crimes, and 4,001 faced imprisonment” (Conscientious Objectors 1). Even with those who stayed lawful, thousands left to Canada or to Europe as a way to dodge the draft or to get out of a country going into immoral war (Ward 2). The draft clearly had a negative effect on the nation, and many lost trust. The overall confidence and mood of the country dipped. Those citizens that are against the military elitism of the United States and do not agree with the war feel alienated under a conscription system (“Conscription” 1). The fear that the government may force them or their friends and family to fight in a war they do not believe goes against the American morales that the country was previously proud of. An all-volunteer army fits with the nation’s principles of freedom, equality, and dignity, while a military draft does not (“An All-Volunteer Army” 2). If the United States had to carry out conscription as a means to fight the war, and conscription led to the nation openly protesting in the streets, the war was ineffective. Not only did the downgraded military not solve the situation in Vietnam, but now there is a situation on the homefront where the freedoms of young men are questioned by society. Not only did the people have a distrust in the government, but they started to question their own futures. There has become a strange feeling among young college students in the time period that education has become unimportant and even irrelevant (Ward 1). If the military draft

Show More
Related

Military Draft Dbq

117 Words | 1 Pages

Ever since the dawn of Republic, the American public grappled with the issue of the military draft. During the American Revolution, the Continental Army struggled to recruit men and enticed the potential soldiers with the lure of the free land or cash incentives. George Washington proposed to institute the draft, however, the Congress rejected his idea. The Civil War, the deadliest of the American armed conflicts, compelled the both warring sides to enact the conscription. The South instituted their draft in 1892, and the North followed with The Draft Act of 1863.

Read More

Summary Of Kent State Four Dead In Ohio By Derf Backderf

1129 Words | 5 Pages

With the Vietnam War spurring contention across the nation, this period in history marked a pivotal change in our country's history. Vietnam was the first war to use the draft as its primary method of enlistment. With soldiers forced into service, the war sparked a series of protests and riots throughout the nation. Many men

Read More

Selective Service Act Dbq Essay

646 Words | 3 Pages

This draft came as an alternative, another fallback for the United States. Also, the draft was done fair, there was no need for citizens to get upset and take the draft away if it is done in an equitable fashion.

Read More

How Did The Military Change Between 1863 And 1973

594 Words | 3 Pages

“The active draft ended in 1973 and President Gerald Ford ended registration in 1975.” However, this did not last long because of the Soviet Union’s invasion into Afghanistan. The government protected the government policies by, “accepting of conscription by the courts and the acceptance of conscription among members of both political parties.” Having the government work together to protect the law and go by the Constitution, decreased the chances of passing other inaccurate laws such as the eligibility of men for the military and how men were registered for declared and undeclared war. “The scope of proclamations and executive orders rang based upon the period and in relation to the American public’s attitudes regarding conscription or empathy.”

Read More

Vietnam War Rough Draft

337 Words | 2 Pages

All in all, Source 1 and 2 both have a different stance on how the Draft should or shouldn’t be available. While both do give their beneficial ideals, Source 2 was more logical with its stand than Source 1s idea of unity and income. However, both sources use the reason that Draft shouldn’t be passed from World war and Vietnam. For example, “ Vietnam was a war of attrition without a clear victory condition or civilian peace-building component, and thus unlike our more recent conflicts” (Source 1). Also , “First of all, World War II and the Vietnam conflict, both of which were very costly in terms of human life for numerous reasons, were also both wars of conscription, as was the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in American history in terms of American lives lost” (Source 2).

Read More

Should Military Draft Be Reinstated Essay

994 Words | 4 Pages

It also gave more responsibility to the citizens of the United States. We live in a free country and in turn what are we doing for our people? The military draft was a solution to the growing laziness and unwillingness to help in the United States. Although the draft could be reinstated in a different manner, it would be very beneficial for the United States to reinstate the draft in order to have a plan if anything war related were to come up. Overall, having the draft reinstated would prove a great idea for the United States.

Read More

Dbq Essay On The Vietnam War

891 Words | 4 Pages

Those still in favor of the war considered it their patriotic duty to enlist and fight for their country, while the opposition came from the lower class groups such as African Americans, “white trash,” Mexican Americans, and other minorities. Because of their lower socio-economic status, they were more often the targets of recruiters and had more difficulty evading the draft. As James Fallows said of his draft experience, “While perhaps four out of five of my friends from Harvard were being deferred, just the opposite was happening to the Chelsea [Boston] Boys.” (Doc 5) Similarly to the civil war era, the majority of the burden of fighting was going to the poor majority as opposed to the privileged few. Other groups, such as the African Americans, were opposed to the draft because of their status at home.

Read More

Summary Of A New Moral Compact?

1298 Words | 6 Pages

From the beginning of the United States’ history, conflict has always been prevalent. The need for armed forces continually grows, especially in times of war, as the fight for freedom becomes more challenging. Conscription, better known as the draft, was first introduced during the Civil War as a way to get more individuals involved in the military to fill vacant positions. The practice of the draft was finally discontinued in favor of an all-volunteer military system, when the need for troops was no longer necessary. After almost two decades of being involved overseas, the demand for armed troops is imperative once again.

Read More

Should Draft Be Reinstated Essay

632 Words | 3 Pages

According to “Should the U.S Draft Be Reinstated?” by Anthony, Christina, Nichole, and Nicholas, “The draft would supply the armed forces with a broad mixture of soldiers which would lead to limits on future wars.” This shows that not only do the poor and minorities could fulfill their duty as Americans. In other words, every American, despite ethnicity, has some duty to serve, for everyone living in this country, however, not everyone needs

Read More

Conscription Vs Northern Draft

1122 Words | 5 Pages

Conscription was first implemented in the United States during the American Civil War in 1863 (“Northern Draft of 1863”). It was common for wealthy men to pay for substitutes to take their place during this time. Support for the new law was very rare in the North during this time, and it created the “Civil War Draft Riots” (Harris, “The New York City Draft Riots of 1863”) . The draft would not return for over half a century. In 1917, the US army had just over 100,000 troops.

Read More

Military Draft Benefits

982 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout history, countries are inevitably pulled into conflicts that result in war. These conflicts usually occur because of interests in: economic gain, territorial gain, religion, and nationalism. America, like every country, needs a military to defend itself, especially when tensions arise in other parts of the world and when militia numbers start to decrease. This then allows the government to draft its population to serve in the military. People argue that young men and women’s bright lives are often cut short, and not allowed their Constitutional right to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, but there are many benefits for the nation and the individual by serving one’s country.

Read More

Zombie Apocalypse Rhetorical Analysis

959 Words | 4 Pages

It well safeguards the position of the capitalist American society and the American civilization and further points out on them to be unable to be educated and be aware of their own society. 7) What could be improved on? By bringing the other side of the coin into the picture the draft can be improved and a conclusion can be drawn, Also, putting up empirical evidence and research work can strengthen the claim in the draft.

Read More

The Draft: The Military Draft

1035 Words | 5 Pages

“The Draft,” as it is commonly referred to, was enacted in September of 1940. Even though the United States was not yet involved in World War II when the act was passed, President Roosevelt regarded it as a vital method of training American men for military service. By 1940, tensions between the United States and Germany were rising as the Nazis had invaded numerous European countries and the news of concentration camps was spreading. Throughout July of 1940, England was the next country to face Nazi aggression, as they faced attacks from the German airforce and navy. With fears that America would be the next country to face a German invasion, Roosevelt signed into law the Selective Training and Service Act, also proclaiming, “America stands

Read More

Summary Of David Barno's A New Moral Compact

502 Words | 3 Pages

In David Barno’s , “A New Moral Compact,” he stresses about our countries current military situation, which is all-volunteer. Barno has also served time in the military himself as a lieutenant general. He claims that the countries current dependence on the all-volunteer military, allows us to rush into war without thinking about the consequences first. Barno proposes the idea, “that every use of military force over 60 days would automatically trigger an annual draft lottery to call up 10,000 men and women” (p.20).This solution is useful but it is not useful enough because it targets sympathy from the people while he needs to target the president because the president can initiate a war without consent of the people or Congress.

Read More

Argumentative Essay: Is Conscription Good Or Bad?

1110 Words | 5 Pages

Conscription, also known as drafting, is a law that the government made for people to go to war. This law stated that anyone who was old enough and was able to fight in the war had to go, whether they wanted to go or not. People thought conscription was very beneficial, I on the other hand disagree. Personally, I do not think conscription is a good idea. It is unfair to force people to go to war, by forcing men to enlist in the army, the army force will not be as strong as it could be, and if conscription occurs, there’s an emotional toll to fighting.

Read More

More about Military Draft During The Vietnam War

Related Topics

Open Document