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Franklin D. Roosevelt and the military draft Black-and-white illustration of young Russian men drawing lots for conscription, with officials overseeing the process and anxious families watching from the foreground. Blindfolded Secretary Baker draws a WWI draft number from a glass bowl on June 27, 1918, flanked by Charles H. Morrow and Provost Marshal Gen. Crowder. American anti-war demonstrators march on 42nd Street in New York City holding signs protesting conscription, including large placards reading NO Conscription, circa 1941.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt and the military draft
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the military draft U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt watching while the blindfolded secretary of war, Henry L. Stimson, draws the first number in the first peacetime draft lottery in U.S. history, October 29, 1940.

conscription

military service
Also known as: compulsory military service, draft
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conscription, compulsory enrollment for service in a country’s armed forces. It has existed at least from the time of the Egyptian Old Kingdom (27th century bce), but there have been few instances—ancient or modern—of universal conscription (calling all those physically capable between certain ages). The usual form—even during total war—has been selective service. Modified forms of conscription were used by Prussia, Switzerland, Russia, and other European countries during the 17th and 18th centuries. The first...

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