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Military Draft Vietnam War Essay

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The draft was last used back in the Vietnam War to provide more men to fight in the war against the communist North, leading to problems back at home (Moody). While some say the draft was patriotic and brought the country together, the draft was unconstitutional, weakened the military, and weakened the economy. With the Constitution being the law of the land, forcing fathers and sons to leave their families to fight a bloody, insect-infected, swampy war or any other war they did not want to fight violates every citizens personal liberties (National Constitution Center). In other words, the draft imposes on citizens basic rights. The draft has been also unfair to low income families as “high-income families who could avoid being drafted by going to college or finding a slot in a stateside National Guard unit” (Moody). The …show more content…

The draft brought “a flood of people who do not want to be there and who may not be committed” (MacNeil/Lehrer). With a large majority of people not wanting to be in the military and being forced to be there, most men would just want to go home leading to a large majority of them to have terrible morale, be selfish, and have horrible discipline on the battleground (Michaels). Or in other words, soldiers would just want to survive and would try anything not to die. With a large section of men out at war, many children, women, and elderly people would have to take over jobs so that the economy could still function leading to items and materials to possibly lower in quantity and increase in price (Moody). Basically forcing men into the armed forces would “be a big drain on labor resources” (MacNeil/Lehrer). Another issue would be the loss of nearly a whole generation of men if a huge war were to break out like World War 1, causing the economy to fall into a depression like the Great Depression in the 1930s

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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.

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This was the first time there was a law requiring people to fight. This put all male citizens susceptible to getting drafting. To avoid drafting, the rich were able to give a year 's worth of pay instead of going to war. Some people even injured themselves so they would be unable to fight. For example, many men who knew they were going to get drafted would purposefully knock out their teeth so they wouldn

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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

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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.

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How important were Drafts during the Vietnam War? During the Vietnam War drafts were a huge part of troops and their families lives. The draft was a way that we would make our troops bigger and better by forcing American men to fight in the war.. American men had to sign up for the draft at age 18. Men from the ages between 18 and 26 were the main chosen to go over to fight.

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Instilling responsibility, pride, and love for the country are just a few of the pros of reinstating this draft. Also, repaying the debts that others and their families have gone through in order for the country to be in the state it is today. There are so many benefits that it is easy to look over any hiccups that may happen along the way. Even if we did reinstate the draft, there could be different aspects to it that fit today’s standards and what goes on in this country and the world in modern days, in comparison to the first drafts. Overall, reinstating the draft is a great idea for the United

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The Vietnam war began on November 1, 1955 being so sudden a draft began, this is when there is a major crisis and extra troops are needed for combat. The way the men were picked to go to war was a lottery was implemented, there was no system in place to determine order of call besides the fact that men between the ages of 18 and 26 were most likely to be drafted. Millions of men were forced to put their lives on hold and fight for their country if they liked it or not. Even though many consider the draft to be unconstitutional there were positive effects. Equality began to spread extensively over those years, since people were forced to get to know one another they started to understand that they're all the same.

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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.

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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.

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by Anthony Holly, Christina Jones, Nicole Lewis, and Nicholas Wade, “The Draft would supply the armed forces with a broad mixture of soldiers…” but “Draft Reinstatement Is a Bad Idea” by foxnews.com states otherwise “Nearly every expert who studies the issue concludes that all-volunteer -- or professional -- militaries perform more efficiently, more bravely and with less corruption and other breakdowns than conscripts”. This shows that everyone should take a part in defending our country but it wouldn’t help much. Despite this point of view, “Bring back the Military Draft?” by theatlantic.com, “It’s unfair for a tiny percentage of Americans-less than one percent-to shoulder the burden of fighting wars”. I think the draft should be reinstated for the sake of our country by defending it, and if we cannot defend our country, the people are not safe as well, however our army is strong enough for any kind of defending.

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Today this gives many more people and most of us in this very classroom the right to vote and be a voice in today’s society. After draft ages were lowered the desire for lower voting ages heightened, which caused for congress to create the 26th amendment which still greatly impacts are world today. War and cries for a voice led to the ratification of a very influential amendment. I. During the Vietnam war President Franklin D. Roosevelt lowered the draft age from twenty-one to eighteen; which caused for turmoil taking that the voting age was still 21.

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982 Words | 4 Pages

Their dread, and absence of being locked in will just make them simple prey and destroy forces one by one. When the draft initially started families were devastated to find out that their loved ones had to go away and fight in the war and doing so it tore relationships up and break the mentality of young adults. This created a inept amount of tension within the country and the public was not prepared for this moment and became a danger to the rest of the group they may have served. Ultimately, getting rid of the draft put civilians in ease knowing that they don't have to go off to war without being

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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.

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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

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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.

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