On this day in 1792, the Militia Act established the first national military conscription.

Here are The Byrds with “Draft Morning,” a special song for men of my sub-generation (Draft Lottery number 265).

Independent since 1969.

The Washington Monthly is nonprofit and reader-supported. Your tax-deductible gift pays for the reporting you just read.

Ed Kilgore, a contributing editor of the Washington Monthly, is a columnist for New York.