A Brief History
On July 7, 1863, the US instituted its first ever draft of young men to serve in the military, a necessity brought about by the enormous effort needed to prosecute the US Civil War. As usual, rich people were not really in danger of risking their lives, because for $300 a draftee could buy his way out of induction!
Digging Deeper
The US Civil War draft started a history of controversy over forced military service in the US, and infamous draft riots occurred in New York City and other Northern areas, even before the government started drafting men.
In World War II, over 61% of American military personnel were draftees, while in the Vietnam War only 25% of our fighting force had been drafted, and yet it is the Vietnam era most associated with protests against the draft, and many infamous draft dodgers. Is a military draft fair?
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Should women be eligible for a military draft?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Bernstein, Iver. The New York City Draft Riots: Their Significance for American Society and Politics in the Age of the Civil War. Oxford University Press, 1990.
Eckstein, Ed. Grunts: The Last US Draft, 1972. Schiffer Military History, 2017.
The featured image in this article, an illustration of rioters attacking a building on Lexington Avenue, is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 70 years or fewer.
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