Raising an Army
--According to the Digital Public Library of America Patriotic Labor: America during World War I--
"When the United States joined the war on April 6, 1917, the nation’s military forces were comprised of only 200,000 soldiers. By the end of that month, only 97,000 additional men had enlisted willingly, prompting government officials to employ more aggressive recruitment tactics. The Selective Service Act was issued on May 18, 1917, requiring all male citizens aged twenty-one to thirty to register for the draft by June 6, 1917. Twenty-four million men registered for the draft and almost three million were drafted into service.
In the summer of 1917, most of these new soldiers stayed behind to receive military training, while a small group of more experienced troops headed to Europe." and "Overall, the Select Service Act of 1917, which mandated enrollment in the military draft for those between twenty-one and thirty years of age, received little pushback. The United States government had learned from its previous mistakes; when it authorized the Enrollment Act of 1863, it brought many new soldiers into the Civil War, but also incited much resistance. As part of that resistance, draftees could hire a substitute to participate or pay a fee to avoid service, and many men of means did just that. Draft evasion was so common that the Civil War is often referred to as a “rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight.” In contrast, in the 1917 draft, with no substitute or evasion possible, the pool of draftees represented a broader, more representative cross section of American life."
https://dp.la/exhibitions/exhibits/show/america-world-war-i
"When the United States joined the war on April 6, 1917, the nation’s military forces were comprised of only 200,000 soldiers. By the end of that month, only 97,000 additional men had enlisted willingly, prompting government officials to employ more aggressive recruitment tactics. The Selective Service Act was issued on May 18, 1917, requiring all male citizens aged twenty-one to thirty to register for the draft by June 6, 1917. Twenty-four million men registered for the draft and almost three million were drafted into service.
In the summer of 1917, most of these new soldiers stayed behind to receive military training, while a small group of more experienced troops headed to Europe." and "Overall, the Select Service Act of 1917, which mandated enrollment in the military draft for those between twenty-one and thirty years of age, received little pushback. The United States government had learned from its previous mistakes; when it authorized the Enrollment Act of 1863, it brought many new soldiers into the Civil War, but also incited much resistance. As part of that resistance, draftees could hire a substitute to participate or pay a fee to avoid service, and many men of means did just that. Draft evasion was so common that the Civil War is often referred to as a “rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight.” In contrast, in the 1917 draft, with no substitute or evasion possible, the pool of draftees represented a broader, more representative cross section of American life."
https://dp.la/exhibitions/exhibits/show/america-world-war-i
The United States recognized that if it was to fight in the European War it would have to do more than what was achieved during the smaller scale Punitive Expedition or even the earlier Spanish American War. The United States needed to raise an Army, a large Army. The nation was at war and needed to fill ranks and rapidly recruit from the population to ensure mobilization would be successful. It was relayed to the public that military service was of utmost importance and that men needed to fulfill their duty and serve. There are also concerns that the war will be unnecessarily lengthened if the military is not expanded efficiently. There is a need for recruits for the Navy, the regular army, and the National Guard. These figured are to increase at a desired amount of 600,000 men. That is a very large figure considering the army was much smaller prior to the conflict.
This brief article considers compulsory military training as a solution to the challenge of mobilizing the American force in the European War. What is in question is the advisability of such a prospect.
In the end, a selective draft for the United States military would be the option chosen to raise a larger Army and Navy and would help alleviate some of the issues faced when mobilizing the military forces. The U.S. military did not want to make mistakes by relying on an all volunteer military force and the military observed some of the experiences the British Government had already faced during their involvement in the European War. Interestingly, the article states that the military is important, but it must not interfere with the homeland capability such as agricultural productions, industries, and transportation. These capabilities still need to be addressed while the military is being built up. It is noted that the selective draft allows for the United States to raise an army without weakening its economic resources. For example, the article states, "Under that policy men who ought to be on the farms can be kept on the farms. Men who ought to be in the factories can be kept in the factories.Men who ought to be on the railroads can be kept on the railroads." Also detailed is the shared draft measures, "It is a system under which the idle sons of the rich must bear their share of the common burden along with the sons of the poor." The main focus is that this is a selective draft. The country does not want to make the same mistake as the British where those individuals with skills and services in valuable industries are taken away and sent to the war effort. This resulted in more harm than good and it would be the aim of the United States to avoid this where possible.
Newsprint, "The Need For Rapid Recruiting"
Newsprint, "Debating Society to Discuss Raising Army"
Newsprint, "Selective Draft for U.S."
Newsprint, "Debating Society to Discuss Raising Army"
Newsprint, "Selective Draft for U.S."