Draft Registration Card for George Herman Ruth
6/5/1917
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This is the World War I draft card for George Herman Ruth, known as Babe Ruth. It indicates that he worked as a baseball player, employed at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
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.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Selective Service System (World War I).
National Archives Identifier: 641780
Full Citation: World War I Draft Registration Card for George Herman Ruth; 6/5/1917; Draft Registration Cards, 1917 - 1918; Records of the Selective Service System (World War I), Record Group 163; National Archives at Atlanta, Morrow, GA. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/draft-card-babe-ruth, July 5, 2020]Activities that use this document
- Americans on the Homefront Helped Win World War I
Created by the National Archives Education Team - WWI America: Babe Ruth's Draft Card
Created by the National Archives Education Team
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