For many people in the army the draft laws were considered to be extremely unpopular. It is thought that literally hundreds of thousands of soldiers deserted which I consider to be very interesting! What do you guys think about it?
The draft caused a lot of unrest in the North. In New York City, there were riots which left over 100 people dead. These riots were portrayed vividly in the film "Gangs of New York." One of the objectionable parts of the draft was the fact that someone who was drafted could pay $300 to hire a substitute to take his place. This option was only affordable to rich people, and so it added a class dimension to the draft.
