Secretary Monroe introduced a measure to congress on October 17, 1814 outlining his plan for raising troops for 1815. His most radical proposal, and the one that he most supported, called for the raising of 70,000 additional regulars about half of which would be drafted. Monroe established his case for a draft on a number of arguments including
*The Militia already provided a precedent for compulsory service
*Several states had employed draft schemes during the revolution and New York had done so in 1814
*Secretary of War Henry Knox had drafted a proposal in 1790 for a draft, with the support of President Washington
*"The Conservation of the State is a duty paramount to all others"
My first question is directed more towards those familiar with American military history in general, namely is the militia conceivably already a draft (or conscripted force). Second any information regarding the political efforts to implement a draft at the national or state level during or following the revolutionary war to which Monroe is referring to would be appreciated. The last point Monroe makes is one that while interesting is not something we can give a concrete answer on IMO.
As a semi-related bonus here is a great speech by Daniel Webster opposing conscription.
*The Militia already provided a precedent for compulsory service
Yes. There are a couple of different ways to approach this, but I like to look at the number of men in the militia companies compared to the population as a whole to get an idea of how many men were in the militia companies. My focus here is going to be in New England, specifically Massachusetts because we have more details of the New England militia records than of militia records in the South.
In the year preceding the Revolutionary War the town of Concord's militia "included nearly everyone between the ages of sixteen and sixty: gentlemen, yeomen, shopkeepers, artisans, laborers, and teen-age apprentices. Only two groups were exempt—the young scholars of Harvard College (who even then had student deferments) and the town’s dozen black slaves, whom the General Court, worried about possible rebellion, had denied the obligation to bear arms."^1
It's worth pointing out that even though the militia didn't include slaves, there were slaves who fought on April 19, 1775 and at Bunker Hill (in addition to many free black men).
The town of Sudbury MA, "was ready to muster virtually all its men of military age, and to support them in the field." ^2
The scene was repeated throughout the area on April 19, 1775. "In many communities virtually the entire male population marched off to war."^2
On September 6, 1774 (just a few days after the Powder Alarm) 4,622 militia men gathered in the town of Worcester to close the courts. The number of men is known with exactness because one of the participants in that event did a head count and noted it in his journal with the number of men from each militia company. That 4,622 men represented nearly half of the adults in Worcester county (so presumably nearly all of the adult males). ^3
*Several states had employed draft schemes during the revolution and New York had done so in 1814
Yes. Massachusetts in particular had conscription laws that dated back to very nearly the founding of the colony. "For six generations since the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, every town had maintained its “training band,” All able-bodied males of military age were required to serve except conscientious objectors, clergymen, college students, professors, and the mentally incompetent." ^2
In the fall of 1774 the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts reinstated this law and asked all men between the ages of sixteen and fifty to enlist in the militia and those between the ages of 50 and 70 to organize in another list called the alarm list, to be called out in times of dire emergency. ^2
That enlistment was technically on a volunteer basis, but nearly every able-bodied man joined. Starting in 1776 Massachusetts had to start conscripting men to fulfill it's obligations. "the General Court resorted to drafts and stuck to them over the next few years. Militiamen were conscripted for short terms of three or six months in theaters far from home—New York, New Jersey, the “Canady” country—as well as in nearby Rhode Island and in Massachusetts itself."^1
In Concord "Half the men under fifty received a draft notice at least once"^1
Virginia authorized conscription in 1777, and other states authorized conscription at various points to meet their quotas of men.
*Secretary of War Henry Knox had drafted a proposal in 1790 for a draft, with the support of President Washington
The Militia Act of 1792 was effectively conscription, though again at the state level. There were two parts to it--the first part authorized the President to assume control of the state militias in emergencies. The second part organized state militias and conscripted "each and every free able-bodied white male citizen of the respective states, resident therein, who is or shall be of the age of eighteen years, and under the age of forty-five years (except as is herein after excepted) shall severally and respectively be enrolled in the militia by the captain or commanding officer of the company, within whose bounds such citizen shall reside, and that within twelve months after the passing of this act."^4
As with most militia units the members of the unit were expected to furnish their own arms, though the poorer members would sometimes be lent arms by the town.
1.) The Minutemen and Their World by Robert Gross
2.) Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer
3.) The First Revolution by Ray Raphael