<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selective Training and Service Act of 1940</span>

Selective Training and Service Act of 1940

<p>The <b>Selective Training and Service Act of 1940</b>, also known as the <b>Burke–Wadsworth Act</b>, <a href="/en/Public_Law_(United_States)" title="Public Law (United States)" class="mw-redirect wl"><abbr about="#mwt11" typeof="mw:ExpandedAttrs" data-mw="{&quot;attribs&quot;:[[{&quot;txt&quot;:&quot;title&quot;},{&quot;html&quot;:&quot;<span typeof=\&quot;mw:Nowiki\&quot; data-parsoid=\&quot;{}\&quot;>Public Law (United States)</span>&quot;}]]}">Pub. L.</abbr></a><span>&nbsp;</span><a rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow" href="https://uslaw.link/citation/us-law/public/76/783" class="external text" target="_blank">76–783</a><span>, 54</span><span>&nbsp;</span><a href="/en/United_States_Statutes_at_Large" title="United States Statutes at Large" class="wl">Stat.</a><span>&nbsp;</span><a rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow" href="http://legislink.org/us/stat-54-885" class="external text" target="_blank">885</a><span>, enacted </span><span data-sort-value="000000001940-09-16-0000" style="white-space:nowrap">September 16, 1940</span>,<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span> was the first peacetime <a href="/en/Conscription_in_the_United_States" title="Conscription in the United States" class="wl">conscription in United States</a> history. This Selective Service Act required that men who had reached their 21st birthday but had not yet reached their 36th birthday register with local draft boards. Later, when the U.S. entered <a href="/en/World_War_II" title="World War II" class="wl">World War II</a>, all men from their 18th birthday until the day before their 45th birthday were made subject to military service, and all men from their 18th birthday until the day before their 65th birthday were required to register.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-factmonster_2-0"><a href="#cite_note-factmonster-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[2]</span></a></span></p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">American Peacetime Conscription Act</div>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: Other short titles, Long title, Nicknames, En...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox mobile-collapse-element" style="width:28.0em"><caption class="infobox-title" style="padding-bottom:0.25em">Selective Training and Service Act of 1940</caption><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span><a href="/en/File:Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_(obverse).svg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_(obverse).svg"><img loading="lazy"alt="Great Seal of the United States" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg/140px-Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="600" data-file-height="600" data-file-type="drawing" height="140" width="140" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg/210px-Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg/280px-Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg.png 2x"></a></span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-top:0.245em;line-height:1.15em;padding-right:0.65em">Other short titles</th><td class="infobox-data" style="text-align:left;line-height:1.3em"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist"><ul><li>Burke-Wadsworth Selective Training and Service Act</li><li>Selective Service Act of 1940</li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-top:0.245em;line-height:1.15em;padding-right:0.65em">Long title</th><td class="infobox-data" style="text-align:left;line-height:1.3em">An Act to provide for the common defense by increasing the personnel of the armed forces of the United States and providing for its training.</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-top:0.245em;line-height:1.15em;padding-right:0.65em">Nicknames</th><td class="infobox-data" style="text-align:left;line-height:1.3em">Burke–Wadsworth Act</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-top:0.245em;line-height:1.15em;padding-right:0.65em">Enacted<span>&nbsp;</span>by</th><td class="infobox-data" style="text-align:left;line-height:1.3em">the <a href="/en/76th_United_States_Congress" title="76th United States Congress" class="wl">76th United States Congress</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-top:0.245em;line-height:1.15em;padding-right:0.65em">Effective</th><td class="infobox-data" style="text-align:left;line-height:1.3em">September 16, 1940</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header notheme" style="background:#bbddff">Citations</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-top:0.245em;line-height:1.15em;padding-right:0.65em">Public law</th><td class="infobox-data" style="text-align:left;line-height:1.3em">76-783</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-top:0.245em;line-height:1.15em;padding-right:0.65em"><a href="/en/United_States_Statutes_at_Large" title="United States Statutes at Large" class="wl"><span class="wrap">Statutes at Large</span></a></th><td class="infobox-data" style="text-align:left;line-height:1.3em">54<span>&nbsp;</span><a href="/en/United_States_Statutes_at_Large" title="United States Statutes at Large" class="wl">Stat.</a><span>&nbsp;</span><a rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow" href="http://legislink.org/us/stat-54-885" class="external text" target="_blank">885</a>, Chapter 720</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header notheme" style="background:#bbddff">Codification</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-top:0.245em;line-height:1.15em;padding-right:0.65em">Titles amended</th><td class="infobox-data" style="text-align:left;line-height:1.3em"><a href="/en/Title_50_of_the_United_States_Code" title="Title 50 of the United States Code" class="wl">50 U.S.C.: War and National Defense</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-top:0.245em;line-height:1.15em;padding-right:0.65em"><a href="/en/United_States_Code" title="United States Code" class="wl">U.S.C.</a> sections created</th><td class="infobox-data" style="text-align:left;line-height:1.3em">50 U.S.C. <a rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode50a/usc_sup_05_50.html" class="external text" target="_blank">Appendix</a> § 301 et seq.</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header notheme" style="background:#bbddff">Legislative history</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data" style="text-align:left;line-height:1.3em"><div><ul style="line-height:1.3em;text-align:left"><li><b>Introduced</b> in the Senate as S.<span>&nbsp;</span>4164 by <a href="/en/Edward_R._Burke" title="Edward R. Burke" class="wl">Edward R. Burke</a> (<a href="/en/Democratic_Party_(United_States)" title="Democratic Party (United States)" class="wl">D</a>–<a href="/en/Nebraska" title="Nebraska" class="wl">NE</a>), <a href="/en/James_Wolcott_Wadsworth_Jr." title="James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr." class="wl">James W. Wadsworth Jr.</a> (<a href="/en/Republican_Party_(United_States)" title="Republican Party (United States)" class="wl">R</a>–<a href="/en/New_York_(state)" title="New York (state)" class="wl">NY</a>)</li><li><b>Passed the Senate</b> on August 28, 1940<span>&nbsp;</span>(<a rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow" href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/76-3/s242" class="external text" target="_blank">58–31</a>)</li><li><b>Passed the House</b>  on September 7, 1940<span>&nbsp;</span>(<a rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow" href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/76-3/h213" class="external text" target="_blank">263–149</a>, in lieu of H.R. 10132)</li><li><b>Reported by the joint conference committee</b> on September 14, 1940; <b>agreed to by the House</b> on September 14, 1940<span>&nbsp;</span>(<a rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow" href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/76-3/h216" class="external text" target="_blank">233–124</a>) and by the <b>Senate</b> on September 14, 1940<span>&nbsp;</span>(<a rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow" href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/76-3/s251" class="external text" target="_blank">47–25</a>)</li><li><b>Signed into law</b> by President <a href="/en/Franklin_D._Roosevelt" title="Franklin D. Roosevelt" class="wl">Franklin D. Roosevelt</a> on September 16, 1940</li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <footer class='mobile-collapse-footer mobile-collapse-btn'><b>Close</b> <span class='arrow'>▲</span></footer></div> 
<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:SelectiveServiceActRoosevelt.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:SelectiveServiceActRoosevelt.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/SelectiveServiceActRoosevelt.jpg/220px-SelectiveServiceActRoosevelt.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="659" data-file-height="439" data-file-type="bitmap" height="147" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/SelectiveServiceActRoosevelt.jpg/330px-SelectiveServiceActRoosevelt.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/SelectiveServiceActRoosevelt.jpg/440px-SelectiveServiceActRoosevelt.jpg 2x" alt="SelectiveServiceActRoosevelt.jpg"></a><figcaption>President <a href="/en/Franklin_D._Roosevelt" title="Franklin D. Roosevelt" class="wl">Franklin D. Roosevelt</a> signs the Selective Training and Service Act.</figcaption></figure>   
    


The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, also known as the Burke–Wadsworth Act, Pub. L. 76–783, 54 Stat. 885, enacted September 16, 1940, 