Liberty and Conscience
A Documentary History of Conscientious Objectors in America through the Civil War
Published on 18. April 2002
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-0-19-515122-0 (ISBN)
Description
Although the act of conscientious objection entered modern consciousness largely as a result of the Vietman War, Americans have, in fact, long struggled to reconcile their politics and pacifist beliefs with compulsory military service. While conscientious objection in the twentieth century has been well documented, there has been surprisingly little study of its long history in America's early conflicts, defined as these have been by accounts of patriotism and nation-building. During the period of conscription from the late 1650s to the end of the Civil War, many North Americans refused military service on moral grounds.
In this volume, Peter Brock, one of the foremost historians of American pacifism, seeks to remedy this oversight by presenting a rich and varied collection of documents, many drawn from obscure sources, that shed new light on American religious and military history. These include legal findings, church and meeting proceedings, appeals by nonconformists to government authorities, and illuminating excerpts from personal journals. These accounts contain many poignant, often painful, and sometimes even humorous episodes that offer glimpses into the lives of conscientious objectors of the era.
One of the most striking features to emerge from these documents is the critical role of religion in the history of American pacifism. Brock finds that virtually all who refused military service in this period were inspired by religious convictions, with Quakers frequently the most ardent dissenters. Only in the antebellum period did the pacifist spectrum expand to include nonsectarians such as the famous abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, founder of the New England Non-Resistance Society. A dramatic and powerful portrait of early American pacifism, Liberty and Conscience presents not only the thought and practice of the objectors themselves, but also the response of the authorities and the general public.
In this volume, Peter Brock, one of the foremost historians of American pacifism, seeks to remedy this oversight by presenting a rich and varied collection of documents, many drawn from obscure sources, that shed new light on American religious and military history. These include legal findings, church and meeting proceedings, appeals by nonconformists to government authorities, and illuminating excerpts from personal journals. These accounts contain many poignant, often painful, and sometimes even humorous episodes that offer glimpses into the lives of conscientious objectors of the era.
One of the most striking features to emerge from these documents is the critical role of religion in the history of American pacifism. Brock finds that virtually all who refused military service in this period were inspired by religious convictions, with Quakers frequently the most ardent dissenters. Only in the antebellum period did the pacifist spectrum expand to include nonsectarians such as the famous abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, founder of the New England Non-Resistance Society. A dramatic and powerful portrait of early American pacifism, Liberty and Conscience presents not only the thought and practice of the objectors themselves, but also the response of the authorities and the general public.
Reviews / Votes
Peter Brock's fine documentary history is a welcome addition to the scant literature on the history of conscientious objection.Brock's work makes it clear that those who refute the state in the name of transcendent values, today and in the future, are heirs to a rich historical legacy. * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
346 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-515122-0 (9780195151220)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Peter Brock
Liberty and Conscience
A Documentary History of the Experiences of Conscientious Objectors in America through the Civil War
E-Book
04/2002
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€57.99
Available for download
Peter Brock
Liberty and Conscience
A Documentary History of the Experiences of Conscientious Objectors in America through the Civil War
E-Book
04/2002
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€57.99
Available for download
Person
Peter Brock is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Toronto. He is the author of Freedom from Violence: Sectarian Pacifism from the Middle Ages to the Great War as well as many other books and articles on the history of pacifism. He was a conscientious objector during World War II and later served as a volunteer in the Anglo-American Quaker Relief Mission in postwar Poland.
Content
Part I: Colonial America
1: The First Quaker Conscientious Objectors in America, 1658
2: Rhode Island, 1673: "None to be compelled to train or fight against their consciouses"
3: Witnessing to the Quaker Peace Testmony
4: Quakers and Naval Impressment
5: Conscientious Objectors in the French and Indian War
Part II. English West Indies
6: Militia "Sufferings" among Quakers
7: Alternative Service and the Quakers of Antigua
Part III: Revolutionary America
8: Quaker Militia Penalties
9: Dilemmas of a Quaker Tax and Paper Currency Objector
10: The German Peace Sects of Pennsylvania and the Draft
11: A Peace Sect Wrestles with the Problem of Hiring a Substitute
12: The Conscientious Objection of a Methodist Preacher
13: The Moravian Brethren and War
Part IV: Upper Canada
14: Legislative Exemption for Peace Sects
15: Quakers and Military Requisitions, 1810-1817
16: A Quaker Family in the War of 1812
17: Quaker Conscientious Objectors in Rural Upper Canada, 1840
Part V: The New Republic to Antebellum America
18: Continuing Quaker Witness against War, 1801-1824
19: A Quaker Petition against Militia Conscription, 1810
20: A Small-Sect Militia Objector
21: Pleas for Exemption of Nonsectarian Milita Objectors
22: William Lloyd Garrison as a Militia Objector, 1829
23: Should "Pacific Exempts" Pay Militia Fines?
24: Nonsectarian Militia Objectors in Jail
25: Dilemmas of Quaker Conscientious Objectors in Antebellum America
Part VI: Civil War America
26: A Garrisonian Mother and Her Draft-Age Sons
27: William Lloyd Garrison and His Son's Exemption from Military Drill at School
28: Conscript Dilemmas at the Hopedale Community
29: Draft Experiences of a Conscripted Shaker
30: The Civil War Diary of a Quaker Conscript
31: Trials of a Quaker Conscientious Objector in the Confederate Army
32: A Reluctant Conscientious Objector
33: A Consistent War-Tax Objector
34: A Mennonite Farmer Hires a Substitute
35: Brethren and Mennonites as Exiles from the Confederate Draft
36: Adventists Confront the Draft
37: A Disciple of Christ Goes the Second Mile
38: Christadelphians and the Draft
1: The First Quaker Conscientious Objectors in America, 1658
2: Rhode Island, 1673: "None to be compelled to train or fight against their consciouses"
3: Witnessing to the Quaker Peace Testmony
4: Quakers and Naval Impressment
5: Conscientious Objectors in the French and Indian War
Part II. English West Indies
6: Militia "Sufferings" among Quakers
7: Alternative Service and the Quakers of Antigua
Part III: Revolutionary America
8: Quaker Militia Penalties
9: Dilemmas of a Quaker Tax and Paper Currency Objector
10: The German Peace Sects of Pennsylvania and the Draft
11: A Peace Sect Wrestles with the Problem of Hiring a Substitute
12: The Conscientious Objection of a Methodist Preacher
13: The Moravian Brethren and War
Part IV: Upper Canada
14: Legislative Exemption for Peace Sects
15: Quakers and Military Requisitions, 1810-1817
16: A Quaker Family in the War of 1812
17: Quaker Conscientious Objectors in Rural Upper Canada, 1840
Part V: The New Republic to Antebellum America
18: Continuing Quaker Witness against War, 1801-1824
19: A Quaker Petition against Militia Conscription, 1810
20: A Small-Sect Militia Objector
21: Pleas for Exemption of Nonsectarian Milita Objectors
22: William Lloyd Garrison as a Militia Objector, 1829
23: Should "Pacific Exempts" Pay Militia Fines?
24: Nonsectarian Militia Objectors in Jail
25: Dilemmas of Quaker Conscientious Objectors in Antebellum America
Part VI: Civil War America
26: A Garrisonian Mother and Her Draft-Age Sons
27: William Lloyd Garrison and His Son's Exemption from Military Drill at School
28: Conscript Dilemmas at the Hopedale Community
29: Draft Experiences of a Conscripted Shaker
30: The Civil War Diary of a Quaker Conscript
31: Trials of a Quaker Conscientious Objector in the Confederate Army
32: A Reluctant Conscientious Objector
33: A Consistent War-Tax Objector
34: A Mennonite Farmer Hires a Substitute
35: Brethren and Mennonites as Exiles from the Confederate Draft
36: Adventists Confront the Draft
37: A Disciple of Christ Goes the Second Mile
38: Christadelphians and the Draft