October 29, 1940 - First Peacetime Military Draft Enacted

Draft registration line at Jefferson Streetcar Barn
in Seattle on October 16, 1940

When looking at the world today, it is quite different than it was just a short time ago in 1940. Americans today are spoiled; we are currently living in one of the most peaceful times in world history. Democracy across the global has fostered a world in which many disputes can be solved with words rather than weapons. Today men and women willingly volunteer to proudly serve their country. Contrary to today, 1940 was a scary time to be a young American man, due to tensions surrounding World War II.

Prior to America’s entrance in the war, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 into law [i]. This act required all men between the ages 21 and 35 to register for the draft. Originally the service time was twelve months. In 1941, the term was expanded to encompass a longer term of duty and a larger population of men that could be conscripted. In total, 10,110,104 men were drafted for the war. On October 29th, 1940, the first lottery for the draft was held, officially bringing the first men into the military for World War II through conscription.[ii] 

Controversy casted a shadow over the draft during this time; this was very prevalent in minority communities. The African-American and Japanese populations were affected more harshly than any other groups. During this time over 100,000 Japanese-Americans, many of whom had little to no connection with Japan other than ancestry, were sent and imprisoned in internment camps. The other group, African-Americans, was still battling for basic rights that we all share today. Abroad, these men were fighting for freedom for their country. In their country, they were fighting for freedom for themselves. Throughout the time, most were forced to serve in segregated regiments. Of the ten million men that served in the military for WWII, over one million of them were African-Americans. Despite this blatant racial segregation and lack of equality, these two groups were asked to do the same things that whites were doing while at the same time fighting battles of their own. The draft and World War II took a serious toll on Americans of all walks of life because of the duel front that was created both by weapons abroad and hypocritical rhetoric at home.

- Nick M. and Matthew G.




[i] Andrew Glass. Politico "Congress enacts first peacetime draft law: Sept. 14, 1940." Accessed October 24, 2013. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0907/5792.html.

[ii] David Wilma. "First peacetime draft in U.S. history takes effect on October 16, 1940.." Accessed October 24, 2013. http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&File_Id=5572.