In the United States, military conscription, commonly known as "the draft", has been employed by the U.S. federal government in six conflicts: the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil …

World War I The first national conscription system comes into being in 1917. Congress passes a draft law based on “the liability to military service of all male citizens.” The law authorized a …

Nov 12, 2025 · Selective Service System, independent federal agency in the United States created to administer the military draft nationwide to conscript troops quickly in the event of war. …

Military Draft In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945; served 1933–45) signed the Selective Training and Service Act, which created America's first peacetime draft and …

Oct 13, 2017 · The origins of military conscription date back thousands of years to ancient Mesopotamia, but the first modern draft occurred during the French Revolution in the 1790s.

Research Starters: The Draft and World War II The Draft and WWII On September 16, 1940, the United States instituted the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, which required all men …

Feb 15, 2023 · The military draft has a long and complicated history in the United States. While the draft officially ended in 1973, the Selective Service System remains in place, and young men …

The Draft ended in 1973 after the United States military became an all-volunteer military force. The Selective Service System still exists today mainly as a contingency plan; men between the …

Jan 8, 2020 · In 1940 the first peacetime military draft in US history commenced, with men between the ages of 19 and 57 required to register with their local draft board. In this pre-war …

The history of the Military Draft can be traced back to ancient times, when armies would conscript men to fight in times of war. In the United States, the first draft was implemented during the …