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HISTORY • CONTEXT • THE FACTS
SEPTEMBER 16, 1940
AMERICA ENACTS ITS FIRST PEACETIME DRAFT
On September 16, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, often associated with its congressional sponsors as the Burke-Wadsworth Act.
For the first time in American history, the United States instituted a military draft while the nation was still officially at peace.
WHY IT HAPPENED
War was already consuming Europe. Nazi Germany had invaded Poland in 1939, France had fallen in June 1940, and Great Britain was fighting for survival. Although the United States had not yet entered World War II, American leaders were increasingly concerned that the country might eventually be drawn into the conflict.
The Selective Training and Service Act was intended to expand and prepare America’s armed forces before that happened.
WHO HAD TO REGISTER?
The original law required male U.S. citizens and male aliens residing in the United States who had reached age 21 but had not yet reached age 36 to register with local Selective Service boards.
President Roosevelt designated October 16, 1940, as the first national registration day.
More than 16 million men registered during that initial registration.
THE FIRST DRAFT LOTTERY
On October 29, 1940, the first lottery was conducted in Washington, D.C.
Thousands of numbered capsules were placed into a large glass bowl. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, wearing a blindfold, reached into the bowl and selected the first capsule.
The number was:
158
President Franklin D. Roosevelt publicly announced the number.
Across the country, local Selective Service boards then used the lottery sequence to determine the order in which registered men would be considered for military service.
AMERICA ENTERS THE WAR
The United States entered World War II following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
As America’s manpower requirements grew, the Selective Service system expanded dramatically. Eventually, men 18 through 45 were required to register, while liability for military service applied to narrower age groups established by wartime amendments.
By the end of World War II, approximately 50 million men had registered under the Selective Service system, and more than 10 million were inducted into military service.
Millions of additional Americans volunteered.
BLACK AMERICANS AND THE DRAFT
The 1940 law explicitly stated that there should be no discrimination in selection or training on account of race or color.
Reality was far different.
America’s armed forces remained segregated during most of World War II, and Black servicemen faced discriminatory policies, restricted assignments, quotas, and unequal opportunities.
Despite those barriers, more than one million Black Americans served in the U.S. military during World War II, including men who fought in distinguished units such as the Tuskegee Airmen and the 761st Tank Battalion.
Their service became an important part of both America’s victory abroad and the continuing struggle for equal rights at home.
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS
The law also recognized certain conscientious objectors whose religious training and beliefs prevented them from participating in war.
Some served in noncombatant military positions.
Those who objected to both combatant and noncombatant military service could instead be assigned to work of national importance under civilian direction, which eventually became the Civilian Public Service program.
Thousands served in forestry, agriculture, hospitals, conservation projects, firefighting, medical research, and other demanding assignments.
THE BIG PICTURE
The Selective Training and Service Act represented a major turning point in American history.
When Roosevelt signed it on September 16, 1940, the United States was still more than a year away from entering World War II.
Yet America had begun preparing.
Within five years, millions of Americans would wear the nation’s uniform, serve around the world, and help bring the largest war in human history to an end.
TODAY’S FACT
America’s first peacetime draft began before America entered World War II.
The law was signed on September 16, 1940.
Pearl Harbor would not be attacked for another 447 days.
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FACT SHEET
History • Context • The Facts
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