US Selective Service Act — America Drafts 24 Million

The Selective Service Act authorized the US government to raise an army through compulsory military service. Within weeks, 24 million men registered. Over 2.8 million were eventually inducted into the Army. The rapid expansion created enormous training and supply challenges. General Pershing insisted on keeping American forces as an independent army rather than feeding replacements into British and French units—a strategic decision that frustrated Allied commanders but established American military prestige.