State mottoes may be said to reflect the character and beliefs of the citizens of the state, or more accurately, the citizens of the state when they were adopted. State mottoes can help us gain insight into the history of a state.
Congress passed what became known at the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 on September 6, 1940, instituting the first peacetime conscription in United States history.
Two years later, Congress passed the Pendleton Act, creating the Civil Service Commission. It was charged with developing ways of reducing patronage within the federal bureaucracy and replacing it with a merit-based hiring system. Examinations were a part of the system it developed.