When was draft started

The military draft brought the war to the American home front. During the Vietnam War era, between and , the U. Although only 25 percent of the military force in the combat zones were draftees, the system of conscription caused many young American men to volunteer for the armed forces in order to have more of a choice of which division in the military they would serve. While many soldiers did support the war, at least initially, to others the draft seemed like a death sentence: being sent to a war and fight for a cause that they did not believe in.

Some sought refuge in college or parental deferments; others intentionally failed aptitude tests or otherwise evaded; thousands fled to Canada; the politically connected sought refuge in the National Guard; and a growing number engaged in direct resistance. Antiwar activists viewed the draft as immoral and the only means for the government to continue the war with fresh soldiers.

Ironically, as the draft continued to fuel the war effort, it also intensified the antiwar cause. Almost every American was either eligible to go to war or knew someone who was.

Conscription during the s took place under the legal authority of the peacetime draft, because the United States never formally declared war on North Vietnam.

Legal authority for a peacetime draft came from the Selective Training and Service Act of , signed by President Franklin Roosevelt in order to mobilize American civilian-soldiers in anticipation of entry into World War II. During the Korean War, the Selective Service began the policy of granting deferments to college students with an academic ranking in the top half of their class. As part of their Cold War mission, many state universities required ROTC training by male students, although campus protests caused administrators to begin repealing mandatory ROTC in the late s and early s.

Democratic lawmakers in particular have raised the issue, as the military struggles to meet recruiting targets. The nation's first military draft began in , when President Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act.

The draft continued through war and peacetime until To instate a draft again, Congress must pass legislation to begin the process and the president must sign the legislation. The Selective Service System may give as much as three months notice according to current regulations before it institutes a draft.

Under the law, virtually all male U. These days you can even do so online through the selective service's Web site. Those who fail to register with Selective Service before turning age 26, even if not prosecuted, will become ineligible for federal financial aid, citizenship, federal job training and federal jobs. Aliens will become ineligible to become citizens.

To be inducted men have to meet the physical, mental and administrative standards established by the military services. Draftees would be selected by lottery. This event determined the order of call for induction during calendar year The Selective Service System has changed a lot since the s. A series of reforms during the latter part of the Vietnam conflict changed the way the draft operated to make it more fair and equitable.

Learn more about our fair and equitable system. Most Americans born before remember the "draft card" which Selective Service issued to each man at the time he registered. For many years there were in fact two cards: the Registration Certificate and the Notice of Classification. Learn more about the history of the draft card and our modern practices. Learn about the numbers of men who entered military service through the Selective Service System during major 20th century conflicts in which the U.

Thus, Selective Service can no longer access any of these records. Box St. Louis, MO How to Obtain a Copy: The classification record is public information and is available to anyone who asks for it.