The Selective Service Act required men to register for the draft, with a draft card sent to those whose number was drawn. The system changed with each president, but the basics remained the same. Draft cards became obsolete in 1973 when the US military became a volunteer system, but registration is still required by law.
A draft card is the notice sent by the United States government telling a conscript that he must report for duty. The Selective Service Act was passed in 1917, forcing men of a certain age to register for the draft. If a man’s number was drawn in a draft lottery, a draft card was sent to him with orders to report. The draft card was used by the United States government for conscription purposes from 1917 to 1973.
The system that determines which men are drafted into the military has changed slightly with each president, although the basics have remained the same. A draft card was issued after an advertised drawing of two issues. For the lottery, one barrel was filled with each date in the current year, while another barrel was filled with numbers one through 365. The Selective Service would then pick an age of recruitment, usually starting at age of 18. At that point, a Selective Service representative would draw a date and number from the barrels.
Any man who turns 18 on the date drawn from the first barrel should report for duty, with the second number indicating what order he would go in: the lower the number, the sooner he should report for duty. The drawing would continue until all 365 numbers had been drawn and the draft cards would be issued in the order indicated by the drawing. During peak periods of the draft, when almost everyone of a certain age had a draft card, young men who did not have their draft card were considered dodgers and were often harassed, beaten, or arrested. Despite this, it was also common during the Vietnam War for draft papers to be publicly burned and those not subject to the draft to help hide those who dodged it.
The age at which a man had to register varied, because the laws changed constantly over the years. The required length of service also changed during World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War, from one year to length of warfare plus six months. During World War I, one person could pay another to take his draft card and service report, which caused the Army to be largely made up of the lower middle or poor class, because they could not afford to hire a replacement. It was also common for draft cards to be revoked under certain circumstances, especially for men with children and college students. Being a college student was the only real exception at the time of the Vietnam War.
Draft cards became obsolete in 1973 when the US military was changed to a volunteer system. Despite this, men of a certain age are still required by law to register with the Selective Service or risk becoming ineligible for certain government benefits, especially student loans. The draft, along with draft cards, can be reinstated by the United States government at any time, although the benefits and pay provided to members of the military have allowed the military to maintain reasonable numbers without it.
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