Significance Of The American Draft For American Society - Admission/Application Essay Example

Significance Of The American Draft For American Society The American draft, also known as the Conscription in the United States of America, is the compulsory military service that all men must necessarily take part in, during the time of war. This draft has been brought into force not only during the war time period but also during the Cold War that took place between the then USSR and America. The Cold War never saw any military action in actual terms, but nevertheless this draft was implemented to keep the militia ready for strike. The conscription has been removed from the American Constitution in 1973 making all military service by voluntary participation only. At present there is no provision for the conscription in America though the Selective Service System has been in place, as a backup plan. Here, American men between the ages of 18-25 must necessarily keep themselves registered so that when required the draft can be immediately brought into force. Many voices have been heard in recent times, asking for the return of the American draft, with President Obama calling for 'national service' and others in his government asking for 'universal service' to the nation. It is being conjured that no service is 'universal' without making it compulsory, thus the question of penalizing those who do not take part in this so called 'universal service' also arises. A look at the history of the American draft takes us long back into the colonial times where we find the conscription being often used by the thirteen colonies to force common men to take up arms in long, extended battles. This was because, often the necessary man power was not raised by voluntary or even paid services and thus the authorities resorted to coercion. The American Revolution also saw certain states using the draft to force men into the militia. However the first conscription law was passed during the civil war in April 1862 by Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy. When a conscription act was passed by the Lincoln government of the Union in 1863, there was a huge riot in New York against the passing of this law. As Bernstein puts it “for five days in July 1863, armed mobs interrupted enforcement of the first federal conscription and struggled with the authorities...what began on the morning of July 13 as demonstration against the draft soon expanded into a sweeping assault..., as well as a grotesque and bloody race riot” ( Bernstein, p. 3). The civil war at its end saw a massive evasion of the draft especially by the southerners who paid money (allowed legally) to escape the draft, leaving only the financially weaker men to fight. Soon it was known as the “rich man's war and a poor man's fight” (quoted in Klose and Jones, p. 247). During the World Wars 1 and 2 the conscription act was again bought into action in 1917 and 1940 respectively. As Kusch tells us “the draft was established under the auspices of the Selective Service System. The new system prohibited inductees from volunteering, calling the practice inefficient and unmanageable...the goal of this program, which began in 1915, was to have a pre-trained mass army of citizen reservists” ( Kusch p.17). It was very rigidly carried out with stringent actions against those who tried to evade or oppose the act. However many did manage to evade the draft by simply going away from their residing homes and not leaving behind any forwarding addresses. During the World War 2 this act was met with a great deal of opposition from the black Muslims, socialists and the communists. The same scenario was seen in the Korean War and Vietnam War, however by his time the draconian law had been much relaxed. As the Vietnam War came to a close in 1972 the same year saw the last man being conscripted to fight for his country. The draft requires all men residing in America between the ages of 18-25 to register. However many feel that requirements of the draft are biased and unfair. Since the draft requires only the males to register, the feminists feel that the act is discriminatory. In fact in 1980 the national organization for women passed a resolution that defined the draft as being discriminatory towards women. The older men also feel being discriminated against, as younger males are given preference as draftees. The draft is termed as unfair and biased as it is applicable to only those who reside in America. The draft, as was seen during the civil war and in present times too, seems to be attracting only the poor and the middle class. Upper sections and wealthy families of the society seem to find a way out for their children from joining the militia. College deferment is a most common form of excuse used by these families to keep them away from active service during the war as was seen with Bill Clinton and Dick Cheney. Perkins gives us a very clear picture of how he evaded being drafted by saying “I... landed a job I loved as a copy boy..and then, tail between my legs, returned to college in order to avoid the draft” (Perkins, p.13). As seen in the Vietnam War, these same moneyed people put their children (like George W. Bush) in the National Guard which rarely left the American soil to take active part in war. Another common route to escape was by getting hold of a medical rejection certificate or even by getting oneself indicted for some criminal offense, as silly as littering. At the end, it was the poor and the uneducated lot who did not know these ways of getting away, were conscripted and they formed the majority of those who did the fighting in all the wars. Along with women, the medically unfit and the college students, in the previous wars (till the Vietnam War), homosexuals were also exempted from drafting. Looking at all the loopholes used by the rich and the famous it is now imperative for the government to from a draft, if required, and make it free from all sorts of discrimination. The draft should make it possible for both men and women to register as equals. It should also be drafted in such a way that the militia is made compulsory for the rich and the poor, the literate and the illiterate. It should not happen that, as always, the children of the rich manage to evade the war while the poor ends up fighting for the country. The country belongs to both rich and poor alike, and the law should be made equal for both. Legal enforcement should also be made stringent enough to remove the loopholes. Women should be allowed to register along with their male counterparts. This is because; women are also a part of this nation and should be given an equal chance to serve the country, as and when required. Women between the ages of 18-25 years can be made to register. However married women of the same age range should be exempted or their registration should be made voluntary. Young, single mothers should be completely exempted from registering at all, as it would mean leaving behind their young children while on service. To remove all signs of discrimination in the American draft, I personally think that registration for all young, healthy and unmarried American women should be made compulsory. Works cited Bernstein, I. The New York City Draft Riots: Their Significance for American Society and politics in the Age of the Civil War. New York: Oxford University Press. 1991. Print. Klose, N and Jones, R. United States History: to 1877. New York: Barron's Educational Series, 1994. Print. Kusch, F. All American boys: draft dodgers in Canada from the Vietnam War. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group. 2001. Print. Perkins, J. The Secret History of the American Empire: economic hit men, jackals, and the truth about global corruption. New York: (Dutton) Penguin group. 2007. Print. Read More