Draft Wheel: Allison, Week 2

Researching the 1863 draft riots of New York City has made me become curious about the history of other draft riots and protests in America. I’ve been reading through Civil War books, browsing the N-YHS’s e-museum site for Civil War documents, and focusing on the lives of New Yorkers before and after the Civil War . However, what about all the other wars our country has participated in? Have there been negative responses to other drafts? There have been many drafts, but the draft that is at the forefront of the American consciousness is the Vietnam War draft. Since the Vietnam War was unpopular with many Americans, particularly the youth, the draft did not sit well, and protesting broke out across the United States. College campuses were especially prone to protesting and violence, as many students were anti-war. A famous example is the Kent State shooting incident, where four students were shot by members of the National Guard during a protest on May 4, 1970. The Democratic Party was split on the subject of the war, and protests at the 1968 Democratic convention escalated into rioting. From 1965 to 1971, support for the war had decreased dramatically. The opposition to the war was only escalated by the draft, as many men who didn’t agree with the war were still required to fight, much like the Irish of the 1863 riots, who did not want to fight to free blacks who would then compete for jobs. Similarly, men often tried to evade the Vietnam War by going to college, faking diseases or homosexuality, or moving out of the country, just like many men evaded the Civil War draft by paying their way out of it. The draft was discontinued in 1973. Today, we still have the Selective Service System; all men over the age of 18 must register in case a new draft is needed, but it is highly unlikely that we will have another draft, due to past opposition.