The Selective Service System: A Historical Perspective

Abstract

Starting with the Revolutionary War, there have been nine wars or conflicts that the United States has used its armed forces for a sustained period of time. Armies were raised through volunteers when possible; however, the first conscription act was passed in 1863, during the Civil War. There have been two major conscription acts passed since then, in 1917 and again in 1940. The purpose of this research effort is to present a historical review of conscription as it applied to each war or conflict that the United States participated in, the current registration law, and what might be required to increase military manpower should the United States enter a tenth war or conflict.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1985
Accession Number
ADA159278

Entities

People

  • David P. Handel

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Employment
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • Management Personnel
  • National Politics
  • New York
  • Personnel Management
  • Second World War
  • Treaties
  • Vietnam War
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.