Should Community Service Be Required?

511 Words3 Pages
One of the most basic principles that the United States was built upon over 200 years ago was the idea of personal freedom and liberty. While fraternity and service have evolved to become important aspects of American society, the prospect of forcing a young American—or any person for that matter—to engage in community service is unsettling. While requiring young Americans to spend a year volunteering very well may benefit communities all over the country, and could quite possibly improve the integrity and compassion of the average young American, this requirement would also involve abandoning America’s long running precedent of allowing citizens the freedom to spend their lives how they choose. In addition to striking down precedent, this requirement would surely inconvenience many, and would risk negatively affecting the way that many Americans view community service. The role of the American government is to protect and convenience its people. Forcing citizens to devote an entire year towards community service would not help achieve these goals. A huge portion of Americans spend the years between their 18th and 22nd birthdays in college. Students should be allowed to spend these years focusing on their education rather than worrying about fitting in a year of volunteer work. If the government were to impose a community service requirement during these years, many young Americans would struggle to do well in school and work towards their dreams. By burdening our country's youth in this way, the government would be jeopardizing the successes of the future generation, thus harming and inconveniencing the people of the country rather than performing their intended job. What advocates of this new requirement fail to consider is that community service is more than just a means of getting things done. Besides supplying affordable housing and a large group

More about Should Community Service Be Required?

Open Document