The Draft and the Selective Service System

The history of the draft and conscripting men for military service in the United States dates back to the days of the Revolutionary War. Individual colonies were given the authority to draft men that were called up for militia service. It wasn’t until the Civil War that the first national legislation in 1862 was passed that would enact a national draft. Since then, several Selective Service Acts in 1917, 1940, 1948, and 1967 that have account for men who would serve their country in times of crisis or emergency.