The major action that the United States government took to mobilize for World War I was to implement the draft, which allowed the federal government to force people into military service.
The Selective Act, also known as Selective Draft Act, was enacted on May 18, 1917 requiring all men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register with locally administered draft boards for military conscription by national lottery. The age limits for the draft were later extended to include all men from ages 18 to 45.
The Selective Draft Act was canceled with the end of World War I in 1918.
