Our Constitution adopted in 1789 gave Congress the "power to raise and support armies", but did not mention or prohibit conscription. This paper reflects my exploration of the history of the draft, complete with court opinions and personal opinions.
During the American Revolution the new state governments assumed the colonies' authority to draft for their short term militias but denied General George Washington's request to provide the central government the power to conscript. As the initial volunteering for the Continental Army subsided most states boosted enlistment by the use of enlistment bounties and holding an occasional draft but this resulted in producing more hired substitutes than actual draftees. There were dissenters and this resulted in several states recognizing the status of a group called conscientious objectors such as the Quakers, who on the grounds of conscience resist the authority of the state to compel them into military service.
During the War of......

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Title: Conscription History
Approximate Word Count: 2007
Approximate Pages: 9 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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