Conscription Research Paper

Improved Essays
Strength in Numbers
(A discussion over reinstatement of conscription)

Are you willing to make sacrifices to ensure the future of freedoms and prosperity provided within the United States of America’s borders? Some individuals would argue that it is every able bodied American’s duty to protect our way of life. One method capable of achieving this lofty goal that has been and is used by governments worldwide is conscription. Conscription is a mandatory enrollment in a government service or program, typically the armed forces. Additionally, conscription was used by the two greatest pillars of western civilization the Greek and Roman empires respectively. The United States, considered by many to be the modern superpower of western civilization,
…show more content…
There are too many people today that believe freedom is free and that it has come at little to no cost. It does not, a countless number of Americans have lost their lives defending this nation from threats that affect us directly and from threats that could have been potentially damaging. The only reason we’re even a sovereign nation today is because of a bloody revolution. Now, it is time for the all citizens of the United States to serve their nation once more. Currently, there is only a small group of the population that is continually suffering, the professional soldiers. When we go to war every neighborhood should have to experience the cost of freedom. People from every social class should feel the loss this includes the politicians in Washington, if they are too old certainly their children are not. Additionally, We should all take pride in our nation and be willing to give a relatively short amount of time for it to help guarantee the preservation of it. After all, if one wants freedom one should have to pay the cost of maintaining it. Even Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s most renowned founding fathers, believed that conscription was necessary to ensure the future of the United States’ free and democratic way of life. Conscription would require service from every American however, it should because it is our duty as citizens of the United States of America to conserve the …show more content…
Today, the United States military is a professional army, meaning it’s all volunteers. The soldiers adorn some of the highest quality equipment on the planet due to an extremely large military budget. However, many of the conflicts that the U.S. are or have recently been involved in require more men. Peacekeeping operations in the Middle East could have potentially gone a lot smoother if the U.S. had a greater presence. Outside of the Middle East, Russia has been showing an alarming amount of aggression through events such as the annexation of Crimea. These events in recent times have revived certain aspects of the Cold War. One drastic move from Russia and we could be at war. In addition, Russia was a superpower too not so long ago and their military is no joke. Currently it is being updated and upgraded rapidly. To protect ourselves against potential threats like Russia we will need a large army. It is rather hard to craft one out of thin air, this is where conscription comes in. If we start conscription now we will have many more soldiers now for current events and many more experience veterans if the need arises. Another benefit of using conscription is a better use of government funds. As of now there are many positions within the military being performed unnecessarily by professional soldiers or outsourced such as office work, driving government officials around, etc. This is

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Ethnic and cultural diversity in the U.S. Army permeates history as far back as the Revolutionary War and through every war, the United States has taken part in since. The Army we know today has changed so much since those times, frequently for the better. These winds of change are due to the Army’s promotion of social equality. Background, schooling, race, religion, and other factors shape Soldiers immensely. By acknowledging differences, qualifications, contributions, and potential, you create an environment where subordinates know they are valued for their skills, contributions, and differences.…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Forcing people to serve in the military will also cost people some of their freedom. People won't consent to giving up their freedoms,however small,unless they feel that they have gained something of equal value in…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During World War One, two referendums were held on the 28th of October 1916 and the 20th of December 1917 to the Australian public . The referendums allowed the people of Australia to establish whether the Australian government should introduce the proposal of conscription - the nationwide system of mandatory service to the national military. It was proposed but not introduced during the Great War; due to the severity of casualties on the Western Front as well as constant pressure from the British Government to sustain its 5,500 men needed every month to maintain its military capacity . During the periods in which the referendums had occurred, groups of people had formed strong opinions as to whether conscription should have been enforced and…

    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The author of ‘The Draft Would Compel Us to Share the Sacrifice’ endorses that in the view of the privilege is joining and not the right he demands the populace join for two years. He insists,” That is why I continue to call for Universal National Service, which would mandate a two-year service requirement for Americans ages 18 to 25,” this is due to that fact that he truly believes that being in the military is something we all should do. Furthermore, this leads to the topic of everyone having their owns opinions and that the masses have different…

    • 1087 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Are the American people willing to be once again forced into the military if the draft was reinstated? The Military draft also known as conscription,it involves the compulsory enlistment in an armed force;the draft dates as far back as twenty-seventh century b.c.e. The american draft began during the American Civil War, but mainly served as a way to induce volunteering. However, by the Vietnam War the draft system failed due to itś unpopularity as what was considered an unfair system and because of itś inability to produce a force suited to warfare on the harsh battlefield of Indochina(Salem Press Encyclopedia).…

    • 1594 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine you just get home and there’s a letter in your mail from the government, the letter was asking for all your information because they wanted to draft you for the war. Most people wouldn’t be happy with getting a letter from the government saying that they had to go off and fight in the war and not having a decision. The draft is mainly held so they can have help in the war and so they can have a better chance of winning the war.…

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It has been said that America is the land of the free and the home of the brave, but really America isn’t free if young men and women have to serve a mandatory service in the military. If a young man or woman wants to fight and die for our country on the front lines of war, that it should be their decision to make. First reason, young people in this country have so much more to live for. It is a proven fact that 17.68% of the young people that go into war die. It is also a proven fact that 48.20% are casualties.…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The U.S. is has such lacking troops that we are giving weapons and our military intelligence to people that live in the countries we are fighting. “…the shift to the draft always finds it efficient to experience a jump in the number of recruits.” (pg 15 Military Service: Draft or Recruit) When the draft is…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When a country enters a war, it needs lots of people to help out. This may be done in many ways but serving in the armed forces is one of the biggest way to help. If the country that is in battle doesn’t have enough troops, they may need to institute a draft to help defend the country. One example is during the Vietnam War when few people were enlisting and the US needed to get more troops, so they began the first draft. The US did this not for a stupid reason but to help protect the country and the people’s freedom.…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The draft also would create responsible citizens and children would grow up to appreciate their country and freedoms more. It is said that the moral and motivated will be victors, but I also believe that it is extremely hard for men to be motivated for war when they have to leave their families…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Men and women who volunteer to fight for the autonomy of America are a very diligent, select few, they deserve the utmost respect and honor for the charitable acts that they do. As aforementioned, these soldiers are a select few. Not everyone is made to take to the field as soon as there is word of war. However, this does not mean that American citizens have no place in war, every able man and woman in America should have to aid the troops in some way; whether it be through medical needs, moral support or monetary assistance. There are pros in having a draft, but in the end, the cons outweigh the pros indefinitely.…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The main idea behind the principal of utility is to choose what will serve the greatest good for the greatest number; therefore, when trying to determine what will best serve the American people, it makes sense to raise an army with numbers that will adequately defend the Union. One might argue that conscription, or forced service, is a violation of the citizens’ rights; however, Article 1 section 8 of the United States Constitution grants congress the ability to “raise and support armies” and “call forth the Militia to… suppress insurrections”. The Article does not express the way the armies are to be raised so it is at congresses’ discretion as to how best address the situation. Congress passed the Militia Act of 1862 only after the number of volunteers began to dwindle and States quotas were not being met. However, the intent of the draft was not to force citizens to serve, but rather to stimulate volunteering.…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Ww1 Conscription Essay

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Conscription World War 1 was one of the first major global conflicts. The war began on the 28th of July 1914 and ended on the 11th of November 1918. The First World War was a milestone in the history of our world and was a horrific term of events. During the time of World War 1 Billy Hughes, the Prime Minister of Australia called a referendum on conscription, a process where men around Australia would be forced to attend war at random. This was due to the limited numbers of men fighting in war, however, many people had different arguments for the process and conscription began to have many effects on men during and after the war.…

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Constitutional Duty

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the year 1787, fifty-five delegates from all walks of life gathered in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, tasked with adopting a government for the United States of America. This eclectic group of men passionately debated for months over what should be included in the United States government. What these men emerged with was the most promising documentation of democracy and expansion of rights the world had ever seen. They emerged with the Constitution of the United States of America. What’s so fascinating about the men who wrote the Constitution was that they all came from various backgrounds.…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Soldiers’ day to day lives during the Civil War was filled with drilling, writing letters to their loved ones, and fighting in battles which would potentially change the rest of their lives forever. At the beginning of the war, both the North and the South didn’t have a problem with numbers in their military because of the amount of volunteers. Some would do the heroic thing and join because they “wanted to save the Union” or “secure their liberty.” Though many people from the Confederacy and the Union had a large amount of epic soldiers willing to risk their lives, the South forced the first draft of the war in 1862. This draft required three years of service for any unmarried male that was pressured into the war if they were between the ages of seventeen and thirty-five.…

    • 1511 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays

Related Topics