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.
A shield against aggression and fear of aggression—President Harry S. Truman On April 4, 1949, representatives of the United States, Canada, and 10 Western European nations met in Washington, DC, to. Read more
Emancipation Proclamation President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached the third year of the Civil War. Lincoln’s proclamation, which declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and. Read more
Friday, May 31, 2024 – Monday, June 17, 2024
East Rotunda Gallery Human Rights at the Ballot Box
In 1978, Californians voted on Proposition 6, which would have banned gay men and lesbians from teaching or otherwise being employed by California school districts. The initiative sponsored by. Read more
Thursday, May 16, 2024 – Wednesday, June 12, 2024
East Rotunda Gallery Memorial Day recognizes and honors the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the Armed Forces. The first national observance of Memorial Day occurred on May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery. General John. Read more
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team None of us thought we were coming home alive. —Lawson Sakai Following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Roosevelt administration required people of Japanese descent living on the. Read more
