Men and women join the military today because they want to of their loyalty to their country or they feel like they should give back to their country and serve. Also, people might join the military because they are in need of money. The reasons are very similar to the ones back then, but there are some differences. People today wouldn't join the military just to escape the boredom from their everyday lives, from the peer pressure, or for adventure. Fighting in a war is very dangerous and life-threatening, so the decision of whether or not one should join the military would be taken much more seriously. People normally wouldn't risk their life just because of boredom or wanting an adventure. It takes more than that for making people want to join the military.
I wouldn't have joined during the Civil War because the possibility of dying on the battlefield frightens me. I wouldn't have the courage to put my life on the line for my country. My fear would get the best of me. Also, I wouldn't be able to endure the long periods of time being away from my family. I'm not very fit, so the physical training will also be difficult for me. Many aspects of being in the military would be very difficult for me to handle. It would take a lot for me to get motivated enough to serve in the military. Because of all of the hardships and risks of being a soldier, I would rather not be involved in the military. All in all, this would be a decision that everyone would struggle with.
I believe that people do join the army because of peer pressure and adventure. Peer pressure is something that most people are weak to and if people are willing to do harm to themselves and start on drugs, I think they'll join the army too. As for adventure, I think that people tend not to think about war too much and consider it a daring game. Probably because of things like video games and/or the fact that most people don't dwell upon what war truly is and what it does to people.
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