Mobilizing for War: The Selective Service Act in World War I

On May 18, 1917, Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which authorized the Federal Government to temporarily expand the military through conscription. The act eventually required all men between the ages of 21 to 45 to register for military service. Under the act, approximately 24 million men registered for the draft. Of the total U.S. troops sent to Europe, 2.8 million men had been drafted, and 2 million men had volunteered. To commemorate this anniversary, the draft registration cards Irving Berlin, Al Capone, Duke Ellington, Marcus Garvey, Harry Houdini, Fiorello LaGuardia, Norman Rockwell, and Babe Ruth are on exhibit.

In commemoration, the World War I Draft Registration Card for George Herman Ruth was on display in the “Featured Documents” exhibit in the East Rotunda Gallery of the National Archives in Washington, DC, from May 4 – June 7, 2017.

Past Featured Records

Thanksgiving Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
In 1863, President Lincoln declared that Americans should come together for a national day of Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November. At the time, Americans had many regional holidays for giving thanks. However, writer Sarah Josepha Hale petitioned the government to make it a single, unified national holiday. When Lincoln finally agreed, the country was in the middle of the Civil War and deeply divided.
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act
While nearly 3,000 people were killed on 9/11, thousands more died in the years following because of their exposure to toxic dust. In 2011, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was passed by Congress to provide healthcare to survivors and those who worked in response and recovery.
Great Seal of the United States
On July 4, 1776, just hours after adopting the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress tasked Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams with creating a national seal. As members of the First Great Seal Committee, each man proposed designs for a national emblem that reflected the independence and aspirations of the new nation. The task proved difficult, and ultimately it took more than three committees and six years to complete the final design for the Great Seal of the United States.
Spymaster-in-Chief: George Washington’s Wartime Espionage
During the Revolutionary War, a large network of colonial spies worked in secret to disrupt British forces. When George Washington took command of the Continental Army in July 1775, he strengthened intelligence efforts by planting false information and writing coded letters to gain an edge over the larger and more experienced British Army. Washington’s account book of wartime spending reveals information about these secret operations.
Snapshots of Service: The 250th Anniversary of the U.S. Navy
The U.S. Navy’s long history began on October 13, 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized ships to intercept British transports as war intensified. While the Navy’s early years are preserved in muster rolls, deck logs, and service records, the Civil War saw photography more candidly capture life in the service.