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The Pros And Cons Of Evading The Draft

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The Vietnam War was a tumultuous time in American history, marked by deep divisions and controversy. The conflict was deeply unpopular among many Americans, who saw it as unjust and immoral. In response to the government's decision to send young men to fight in a war they did not believe in, many individuals chose to evade the draft as a form of protest and civil disobedience. The draft disproportionately affected working-class and minority communities, leading many to feel that they were being unfairly targeted and exploited by the government. By refusing to serve in a war they did not support, these individuals were asserting their right to self-determination and resisting a system they viewed as oppressive. Evading the draft was not a decision
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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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A New York Times article provides evidence for a situation when that occurred, General Hershey the draft's veteran director once said, "Members and personnel of the board appreciate the concern of parents when their sons are being called into service... most of them know from personal experience the trials of such times” (Fred

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Americans were dissatisfied with the draft dodgers decisions, viewing them as unfair, cowardly, and disrespectful to the country. David Harris, another draft dodger during the Vietnam War, spoke out about his

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Drafted or Willing. (A Discussion over the United States Draft) The United States draft was created to ensure that during times of war our numbers in battle would never become to strained or cause faltering. This was successful for many battles, and in war, but why did it stop? Some thought this was an unethical practice that took away the free will of a man to do as he pleased with his life.

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In McDonald’s song, the effect of the draft and its effects on society are highlighted by the lyrics, “Send ‘em off before it’s too late. Be the first one on your block To have your boy come home in a box,” [Doc B]. More than 50,000 Americans died in the Vietnam War, and after withdrawing from the battlefront, Americans felt it was for nothing. Robert F. Kennedy said, “we have sought to resolve by military might a conflict whose issue depends upon the will and conviction of the South Vietnamese people,” [Doc E]. To the war, Americans provided weapons, supplies, and troops.

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The soldiers in the Vietnam war hated their involvement and many questioned why the united states stepped in the first place. According to Robert Peterson, “I guess I’m fighting for the continued freedom and prosperity of America. But then when i think about it, that doesn 't make much sense either….. To stop communism here or they’ll eventually take over America. That’s a bunch of… bullshit!

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It would be horrible for a husband to be yanked from his wife and kids, then to find out he died fighting in a war he didn’t even sign up for. If a man has children, or his wife is expecting, he should be exempted. Some would argue that the mandatory draft was necessary, that “the U.S. military must remain prepared to fight a really big war that might require a much larger force” (Barno/Bensahel). To protect against that, there would be safeguards put into the mandatory draft. If the amount of soldiers in the military by volunteer dropped to a point that was too low to fight, the protections such as college and family, would be stripped, and the age range upped from 18-25 to 18-30.

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In 1955, Vietnam was just beginning. Numerous young men from poor families were being drafted into the war. Many of these men did not come back from the war, but the ones who were lucky enough to make it back home sometimes struggled with adjusting back to their normal life. A lot of men struggled with this, some of them did not know how to get back to their normal life so they went back to the war. Survivors of the Vietnam war have told their own stories of their time was during this war.

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The Vietnam Memorial Fund analyzed the Vietnam draft stating, “an October 1966 report by the National Advisory Commission on Selective Service showed that only 1.3 percent of local board members were African American. By comparison, African Americans constituted 11 percent of the U.S. population, 16.3 percent of all draftees, and 23 percent of all combat troops in Vietnam in 1967” (vvmf.org, 2018). This obvious disproportionation was emotionally scarring for many, and the poor socioeconomic citizens aimed their anger towards the government. They started to put their opposition towards the war effort to extreme measures with draft protests, inflicting minor injuries on themselves, or fleeing to Canada to make them ineligible for combat. The media televised the abuse of soldiers at war.

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While perhaps four out of five of my friends from Harvard were being deferred, just the opposite was happening to the Chelsea boys.” this highlights how the draft was unfair and unjust to people of the lower class because they didn't have deferments like college or a doctors note that could be faked. They had nothing to stop them from going to war and that was unjust and unfair. In Doc 10, during Martin Luther King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech in 1967, he says” It became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and die in extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population.

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First off, the United States should get rid of the Draft because it would divide the Society. The United States has a very ugly history with the draft. There has been many draft dodgers, protests, and Anti War and Anti Draft demonstrations most commonly in the Vietnam War era. The protests over the draft got violent during the American Revolution. One example, that the draft would divide the society is To Protester’s

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On April 4, 1967 Doctor Martin Luther King Jr gave the speech, “Beyond Vietnam-A time to Break Silence.” In this powerful speech Dr. King addresses his followers, and explains why the same people who are advocating for civil rights, should also protest the war in Vietnam. Dr. King’s main appeal is towards pathos because he is explaining his reasons, most of which are moral in some way. Dr. King develops the central claim of the speech by explaining how the war is taking away resources from the poor, how the soldiers are disproportionately poor people, and lastly how the war is completely against his morals. His central claim of the speech revolves around war being an enemy of the poor.

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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.

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