The British Government introduced conscription in March 1916 because voluntary enlistment could no longer meet the army’s need for recruits. Under the terms of the Military Service Act, all medically fit single men between the ages of 19 and 41 were deemed to have enlisted in the armed forces on 2 March.
In May 1916 a second Government act extended conscription to married men and the age limit was lowered to 18. Conscripted men had no choice about which service, regiment or unit they joined.
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Turning a draft budget into spending bill. [apex]
In his book, A People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn cites examples from US colonial history of the gap between rich and poor in colonial life.
A key study cited by Zinn examined tax registers from Boston, showing that the top 1% of the population held 25% of the wealth in 1687, and that by 1770, the top 1% of property owners in Boston owned 44% of the wealth. The study also noted that the bulk of Boston's population were not property owners. The percentage of adult males in Boston who owned no property doubled between 1687 and 1770 (from 14% to 29%).
Zinn cited additional items, regarding overcrowding of poorhouses (giving a notable example from New York) and a general increase throughout the colonies of the "wandering poor" who had no real means of support. He also cited examples of workers' strikes against employers in the colonies because of low wages.
