The Restatement of the Military Draft

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Amanda Stivala Composition 1030-72 Argument Essay Draft 10/19/12 Winner Winner Chicken Dinner The reinstatement of a military draft is a controversial issue that has surfaced in American society. Although a draft would challenge the liberties granted to us in the Constitution and be detrimental to our society, some people believe that a draft would be insignificant to all the benefits we receive as American citizens, and that the draft can be utilized as an effective tool. Lets start with the basic information about the draft. It all began with President Franklin Roosevelt signing the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 which created the country's first peacetime draft and formally established the Selective Service System as an independent Federal agency (Jehn). From 1948 until 1973, during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces which could not be filled through voluntary means. In 1973, the draft ended and the U.S. converted to an All-Volunteer military. Today, people that argue that the draft needs to be reestablished have a strong base for their commanding arguments. Some believe that serving in the military is a civil duty, and to live in this country one must defend it. That patriotism is illustrated in this quote by George Washington, "It must be laid down as a primary position and the basis of our (democratic) system, that every citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal service to the defense of it" (Moore). Although not completely relevant to events of today it still emphasizes the fact that we as Americans need to serve our country if we expect the government to serve us. With talks of the reinstatement of the draft, there also comes some changes to the types of duties that the draftees would perform.

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