Foreword
Conscription — never popular in this country — ended in 1973. Today, all young men are required to register with the Selective Service within 30 days of their eighteenth birthday, but enlistment in the armed services is voluntary, and the Selective Service System remains on "standby" status.The military draft was first instituted during the Civil War to fill the declining ranks of Union soldiers. In those days, the well-off could avoid service by paying a $300 fee. Those who were forced to enlist — especially immigrants and minorities — felt unfairly targeted. In New York, they took to the streets…
