Wake Up America Day

Created by the Mayor’s Committee for National Defense of New York City, Wake Up America Day was designed to encourage enlistment in the military for World War I. The Mayor’s Committee for National Defense planned the celebration on April 19, 1917, to coincide with the anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord of the American Revolutionary War. In New York, the day included rallies, a parade, and a reenactment of Paul Revere’s ride. Other cities and towns across the country also held activities on the same day.

Only 107 men volunteered for the Navy and 117 for the Army in the week following Wake Up America Day. Due to the relative small size of the United State regular military, Congress passed the Selective Service Act authorizing a draft on April 28, 1917.