FDR Enacts Peacetime Draft

The transcript describes the enlistment of thousands of patriotic youths eager to fight the Kaiser during WWI. Medical examinations were conducted on an assembly line basis, and recruits were quickly transformed into soldiers. In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the first peacetime conscription bill in U.S. history, reviving the machinery of enlistment that had been unused for years.

What was the general sentiment of the youths towards serving their country during the initial conscription?

• They were reluctant and hesitant.

• They were eager and enthusiastic.

• They were indifferent.

• They were fearful and anxious.

Who was perceived as the main adversary during the initial conscription period?

• The Prime Minister

• The President

• The Kaiser

• The General

What was the process like for transforming new recruits into soldiers?

• It was optional and voluntary.

• It was quick and systematic.

• It was slow and inefficient.

• It was chaotic and disorganized.

In what year did President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sign the first peacetime conscription bill?

• 1930

• 1940

• 1950

• 1960

What was the state of the military machinery before the 1940 conscription bill?

• It was in constant use.

• It was well-maintained.

• It was newly built.

• It was rusted from lack of use.