Child Soldiers: Militarism and American Youth

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Today, the term 'child soldier' evokes images of youths brutally coerced into fighting wars in the developing world. Yet until recently, children aged seven to seventeen made up a significant portion of the American military. Masses of children also joined organisations or schools structured along military lines. This project is expected to provide the first examination of the relationship between childhood and militarism across United States history. Exploring debates over the militarisation of childhood, as well as the experiences of child soldiers themselves, it aims to reveal how changing understandings of childhood intersected with evolving attitudes toward America as a military nation.