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The military draft brought the war to the American home front. During the Vietnam War era, between 1964 and 1973, the U.S. military drafted 2.2 million American men out of an eligible pool of 27 million. Although only 25 percent of the military force in the combat zones were draftees, the system of conscription caused many young American men to ...
- Push to Lower Voting Age Began in World War II
- Congress vs. Constitution For Changing Voting Age
- 26th Amendment Is Ratified in Record Time
The first push to lower the voting age came during World War II. The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 set the draft age range at 21-35, but in June 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt lowered that to 18. Those horrified by the idea that an American could be sent to die for his country before being old enough to participate in its democra...
In May 1965, as troops began landing on Vietnam’s shores, New York Congressman Benjamin S. Rosenthal proposed lowering the voting age to 18. A year later, Vice President Hubert Humphrey pressed for the change, saying it "would have a very good effect on American politics." In 1968, Johnson asked Congress to move on the voting age, saying it would b...
On June 22, 1970, Nixon signed the Voting Rights Act of 1970, which extended the 1965 Voting Rights Act and included a provision that lowered the voting age. Its constitutionality was quickly challenged, and in Oregon v. Mitchellthe Court deemed unconstitutional lowering the voting age to 18 in state and local elections but affirmed that change for...
Evolution of the Draft. Leading up to and during the Vietnam War, the draft evolved in how individuals could “defer” their service; in the way the draft system worked; and in the growth of popular resistance against a draft system.
Origins. The lottery of 1969 was devised to increase the numbers of military personnel available for service in the Vietnam War, while addressing inequities in the previous draft system. US involvement in Vietnam began in 1946 with support for France during the French Indo-China war.
Oct 13, 2017 · Draft resistance in the United States reached its peak during the Vietnam War. By late 1967, U.S. casualties in Vietnam had reached 15,058 killed and 109,527 wounded.
- The Draft
Yet during the Vietnam War, draft evasion and draft resistance reached a historic peak, nearly crippling the Selective Service System. Combined with the revolt inside the military and the larger civilian antiwar movement, draft resistance acted as another fetter on the government’s ability to wage a war in Vietnam, and brought the war home in ...
Jan 27, 2023 · On Jan. 27, 1973, with the Paris Peace Accords signed and U.S. involvement in Vietnam over, Defense Secretary Melvin R. Laird announced the end of the military draft, after 25 uninterrupted...
