ENC 1101-11
November 5, 2014
Heavily Armed
The original thirteen colonies were patrolled by a militia that some people might categorize as a gang. A militia is viewed as a group in a community, sometimes affiliated with the government. They follow a belief what might sometimes seem one directional or maybe even clouded. A gang on the other hand is usually categorized as a group individuals who play a fairly fulfilling part in criminal activities. Though militias and gangs share a suitable amount of subtle differences, both of these groups share a plethora of similarities Militias and gangs are two groups who serve our community in several positive and negative aspects that affect our daily lives.
First of all,” a militia are generally described as groups of ordinary citizens who take up arms in defense of their country” (Militias). For example, the original US colonies used a militia to keep the peace. Also, the militias in the American colonies played a pretty important role in the Revolutionary war against the British. To this day we still have “state-level” militias residing in the United States.
Moreover, some countries actually depend on their militias as a defensive force. In Switzerland for example, most males over 20 have to join the military and serve in a reserve militia years after. Similarly, in Israel both males and females, who aren’t of Arab decent, join the Israeli Defense Forces for at least two years. Unlike Switzerland, Israel actually forces females to partake in the militia services.
Secondly, “the U.S. Department of Justice officially defines a youth gang as a group of young people involved in criminal activity” (Gangs). Though the origin of gangs are unclear, some researchers claim that youth gangs developed in Europe. ‘Tis claimed that gangs made their debut in America in the late 1700s, and the definite spread of gangs began in the 1800s in major cities like New York and Chicago. During these early times most gang members were...