Military Service and American Democracy

From World War II to the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars

Nonfiction, History, Military, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book Military Service and American Democracy by William A. Taylor, University Press of Kansas
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: William A. Taylor ISBN: 9780700623211
Publisher: University Press of Kansas Publication: November 25, 2016
Imprint: University Press of Kansas Language: English
Author: William A. Taylor
ISBN: 9780700623211
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Publication: November 25, 2016
Imprint: University Press of Kansas
Language: English

“When I became secretary of defense,” Ashton B. Carter said when announcing that the Pentagon would open all combat jobs to women, “I made a commitment to building America’s force of the future. In the twenty-first century, that requires drawing strength from the broadest possible pool of talent.”

That “pool of talent”—and how our nation’s civilian and military leaders have tried to fill it—is what Military Service and American Democracy is all about. William Taylor chronicles and analyzes the long and ever-changing history of that often contentious and controversial effort, from the initiation of America’s first peacetime draft just before our entry into World War II up to present-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. A history that runs from the selective service era of 1940–1973 through the era of the All-Volunteer Force of 1973 to the present, his book details the many personnel policies that have shaped, controlled, and defined American military service over the last eight decades. Exploring the individual and group identities excluded from official personnel policy over time—African Americans, women, and gays among others—Taylor shows how military service has been an arena of contested citizenship, one in which American values have been tested, questioned, and ultimately redefined. Yet, we see how this process has resulted in greater inclusiveness and expanded opportunities in military service while encouraging and shaping similar changes in broader society.

In the distinction between compulsory and voluntary military service, Taylor also examines the dichotomy between national security and individual liberty—two competing ideals that have existed in constant tension throughout the history of American democracy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

“When I became secretary of defense,” Ashton B. Carter said when announcing that the Pentagon would open all combat jobs to women, “I made a commitment to building America’s force of the future. In the twenty-first century, that requires drawing strength from the broadest possible pool of talent.”

That “pool of talent”—and how our nation’s civilian and military leaders have tried to fill it—is what Military Service and American Democracy is all about. William Taylor chronicles and analyzes the long and ever-changing history of that often contentious and controversial effort, from the initiation of America’s first peacetime draft just before our entry into World War II up to present-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. A history that runs from the selective service era of 1940–1973 through the era of the All-Volunteer Force of 1973 to the present, his book details the many personnel policies that have shaped, controlled, and defined American military service over the last eight decades. Exploring the individual and group identities excluded from official personnel policy over time—African Americans, women, and gays among others—Taylor shows how military service has been an arena of contested citizenship, one in which American values have been tested, questioned, and ultimately redefined. Yet, we see how this process has resulted in greater inclusiveness and expanded opportunities in military service while encouraging and shaping similar changes in broader society.

In the distinction between compulsory and voluntary military service, Taylor also examines the dichotomy between national security and individual liberty—two competing ideals that have existed in constant tension throughout the history of American democracy.

More books from University Press of Kansas

Cover of the book In the Shadow of the Great Charter by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book Losing Binh Dinh by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book The Last Wild Places of Kansas by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book Populism and Imperialism by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book Forgotten Warriors by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book America's Deadliest Battle by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book Native Activism in Cold War America by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book The Modern American Presidency by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book Making Rocky Mountain National Park by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book Bully Nation by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book The First Modern Clash over Federal Power by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book Race, Sex, and the Freedom to Marry by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book The Coming of the Nixon Court by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book Congress by William A. Taylor
Cover of the book Lochner v. New York by William A. Taylor
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy