Scope

This Research Guide includes sources dealing with the use of the draft to conscript soldiers for the United States military.

Overview

Dictionary of American History
College Library Reference Collection: E 174 D52 2003
Refer to volume 2, pages 362-365 for "Conscription and Recruitment"

Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War
College Library Reference Collection: DS 557.5 A54 2002
Refer to "Draft" in index

Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War
College Library Reference Collection: DS 557.7 E53 1998
Refer to volume 1, pages 176-178 for "Draft"

Women and the Military
College Library Reference Collection: U 21.75 S54 1996
Refer to page 103 for "Draft"

Encyclopedia of the American Civil War
College Library Reference Collection: E 468 H47 2000
Refer to volume 1, pages 486-488 for "Conscription"

Finding Journal and News Articles

Below are links to databases that cover this subject area. The truncation symbol for all of them is an asterisk (*) unless otherwise noted.

Sample searches for databases:

"military draft"
draft and "United States" and "<insert name of war>"
conscript*
conscientious object*
"selective service"

Recommended Databases:

Academic Search 1984 - to date (updated daily)
This library database indexes approximately 3,100 popular magazines and academic journals and provides the full-text articles from approximately 1,000 journals. Basic instructions for Academic Search

CQ Researcher November 1991 - to date (updated weekly)
Contains weekly reports from Congressional Quarterly that cover the most current and controversial issues. Basic instructions for CQ Researcher

Military and Government Collection Database 1961-to date (updated daily)
The Military & Government Collection provides current news pertaining to all branches of the military. The database contains indexing and abstracts for nearly 400 journals and periodicals and cover-to-cover full text content for nearly 300 of these titles.

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center 1990 - to date (updated daily)
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (OVRC) includes the acclaimed social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference USA sources and provides viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.

ProQuest Research Library 1988 - to date (updated daily)
Indexes over 2,000 general-interest and academic journals. Nearly 1,000 periodicals are full-text. Dates vary, but many full-text journals go back to 1988. Basic instructions for ProQuest Research Library

Vietnam War Bibliography
Bibliography of books and some articles dealing with many aspects of the Vietnam War, arranged by category.

Finding Books

MadCat
Books on the military draft can be found in MadCat, the UW-Madison library catalog.

Sample keyword searches:

"military draft"
draft and "United States" and history
"draft resisters"
conscript? (suggestion: limit to English Language)
"conscientious object?" (suggestion: limit to English Language)
military and draft and "<insert war>" (examples: "civil war" "world war" "vietnamese conflict" "peace")

Internet Sites

Selective Service System
http://www.sss.gov/
Homepage of the Selective Service System, the agency whose mission it is to "provide manpower to the armed forces in an emergency; and to run an Alternative Service Program for men classified as conscientious objectors during a draft." Includes news and publications, statistics, history of the draft, and information on registration and on what happens in a draft.

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Politics (Draft Fear)
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/draft.asp
Snopes.com (Urban Legends Reference Pages) addresses rumors of a military draft circulating around the time of the 2004 Presidential election. Provides analysis of the rumor, hyperlinks to more information, and citations to back up the analysis.

Conscientious Objection
http://www.moveon.org/moveonbulletin/bulletin6.html
This 2002 bulletin from MoveOn.org provides information and links about conscientious objection and the possibility of a military draft within the context of the War on Terror.

In Support of the Selective Service System
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r103:H15OC3-219:
A page in the Congressional Record from a 1993 meeting of the House of Representatives which lists 21 organizations that support the Selective Service System.

Statistics

Polling the Nations 1986-to date (updated monthly)
Polling the Nations is a compilation of questions and responses from more than 14,000 national, state, local and special surveys in the U.S. and more than 80 other countries. The surveys contain information on more than 4,500 subjects, and are gathered from professional polling organizations, television networks, universities, newspapers, businesses and associations. (Suggested search term: "military draft")

Statistical Universe 1973 - to date (updated monthly)
Contains the full text of more than 800 U.S. government statistical publications. Lexis-Nexis Statistical Universe is available to UW-Madison registered users. (Suggested search terms: "selective service," "armed forces personnel")

Videos

Bringing Back the Draft
"Bringing Back the Draft" is an excerpt of the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer from the January 8, 2003. It features a debate between Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), who introduced legislation that would reinstate the military draft, and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), who opposed it. Available as a transcript and in streaming video and audio formats.

Organizations

United States Department of Defense
http://www.defenselink.mil/
Official homepage of the United States Department of Defense.

Center on Conscience & War (NISBCO)
http://centeronconscience.org/index.shtml
1830 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: (202) 483-2220 or 1-800-379-2679