I’d be willing to bet that almost nobody (except servicemen) carried ID until the socialists began taking over in the 60s.
I have a card my grandfather carried with him all his life. He was born in Germany, brought here when young, and registered for WWI Draft. He had to show it and prove his citizenship many times. I’ve lived in two other countries, and we always went every year to get fingerprinted, registered, and have to carry cards. I can’t believe we don’t track non-citizens, and that some think this is racist.