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In colonial times, the Thirteen Colonies used a militia system for defense. Colonial militia laws—and after independence, those of the United States and the various states—required able-bodied males to enroll in the militia, to undergo a minimum of military training, and to serve for limited periods of time in war or emergency.
Conscription, also known as the draft in American English, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. [1] Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day under various names.
Military Selective Service Act; Militia Acts of 1792; Milwaukee Fourteen; N. ... Schenck v. United States; Selective Draft Law Cases; Selective Service Act of 1917;
Uncle Sam pointing his finger at the viewer in order to recruit soldiers for the American Army during World War I, 1917-1918 Sheet music cover for patriotic song, 1917. The Selective Service Act of 1917 or Selective Draft Act (Pub. L. 65–12, 40 Stat. 76, enacted May 18, 1917) authorized the United States federal government to raise a national army for service in World War I through conscription.
The downsizing of the US military after World War II, without proper regard to future threats, left America's forces ill-trained and poorly manned and equipped for the Korean War. Following World War II, US Army end strength dropped from 8 million in the spring of 1945 to 684,000 by 1 July 1947, a reduction of 89 divisions to 12.
World War I draft card. Lower left corner to be removed by men of African ancestry in order to keep the military segregated. Following the U.S. declaration of war against Germany on 6 April, the Selective Service Act of 1917 (40 Stat. 76) was passed by the 65th United States Congress on 18 May 1917, creating the Selective Service System. [10]
The 48-year tenure of veteran presidents after World War II was a result of that conflict's "pervasive effect […] on American society." [2] In the late 1970s and 1980s, almost 60 percent of the United States Congress had served in World War II or the Korean War, and it was expected that a Vietnam veteran would eventually accede to the presidency.
While the United States Armed Forces is an all-volunteer military, conscription through the Selective Service System can be enacted at the president's request and Congress' approval, with all males ages 18 through 25 living in the United States required to register with the Selective Service. [242]