F.D.R. Signs Selective Training and Service Act to Initiate First PeaceTime Draft (1940)
On September 16, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act which initiated the first U.S. peacetime draft in history. In particular, the Act required all men between the ages of 21 and 35 to register with local draft boards for possible mobilization into the military.
The Act selected men through a lottery system. If selected, a man had to serve for twelve months. However, the Act did allow certain individuals to refrain from entering the military including conscientious objectors - i.e. individuals whose religions did not allow them to bear arms.
Once the United States entered World War II all men between the ages of 18 to 45 were required to register for the draft. The Selective Service System was terminated after the War. However, a new Selective Service System was created through the Selective Service Act of 1948 which again required adult males to register for the draft.