Liberty and Conscience : A Documentary History of the Experiences of Conscientious Objectors in America Through the Civil War

Although the act of conscientious objection entered modern consciousness most strikingly as a result of the Vietnam War, Americans have long struggled to reconcile their politics, pacifist beliefs, and 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. In fact, during the period of conscription from the late 1650s to the end of the Civil War, many North Americans refused military service on grounds of conscience. 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. In the antebellum period, however, the pacifist spectrum expanded to include nonsectarians such as the famous abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, founder of the New England Non-Resistance Society. A dramatic, 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. MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Contents 10 PART I: COLONIAL AMERICA 16 1. The First Quaker Conscientious Objectors in America, 1658 20 2. Rhode Island, 1673: “None to be compelled to train or fight against their consciences” 22 3. Witnessing to the Quaker Peace Testimony 24 A. Letter to the Governor of New York, 1672 24 B. From the Minutes of New England Yearly Meeting, 1712 25 C. Hatsell Okelley, 1748 25 4. Quakers and Naval Impressment, 1705 27 5. Conscientious Objectors in the French and Indian War 32 A. From Joshua Evans’s Journal, 1756 32 B. From John Woolman’s Journal, 1757 33 C. Colonel George Washington and the Quaker Conscientious Objectors, 1760 34 D. Virginia Mennonites and the Militia, 1755–1761 41 PART II: ENGLISH WEST INDIES 46 6. Militia “Sufferings” among Quakers 48 A. Barbados, 1678–1686 48 B. Jamaica, 1683–1691 53 7. Alternative Service and the Quakers of Antigua 55 PART III: REVOLUTIONARY AMERICA 60 8. Quaker Militia Penalties 63 9. Dilemmas of a Quaker Tax and Paper Currency Objector 65 10. The German Peace Sects of Pennsylvania and the Draft 67 11. A Peace Sect Wrestles with the Problem of Hiring a Substitute 68 12. The Conscientious Objection of a Methodist Preacher 70 13. The Moravian Brethren and War 74 A. The Pacifism of John Ettwein 74 B. Moravians and the Draft: An Ambiguous Witness 76 PART IV: UPPER CANADA 82 14. Legislative Exemption for Peace Sects 84 15. Quakers and Military Requisitions, 1810–1817 85 16. A Quaker Family in the War of 1812 87 17. Quaker Conscientious Objectors in Rural Upper Canada, 1840 87 PART V: THE NEW REPUBLIC TO ANTEBELLUM AMERICA 90 18. Continuing Quaker Witness against War, 1801–1824 94 19. A Quaker Petition against Militia Conscription, 1810 97 20. A Small-Sect Militia Objector 102 21. Pleas for Exemption of Nonsectarian Militia Objectors 105 A. From the Massachusetts Peace Society, 1818 105 B. From the New England Nonresistance Society, 1838 108 22. William Lloyd Garrison as a Militia Objector, 1829 114 23. Should “Pacific Exempts” Pay Militia Fines? 115 24. Nonsectarian Militia Objectors in Jail 116 A. “But do men ever go to prison rather than train?” 116 B. From Boston’s Leverett Street Jail, 1839 and 1840 117 25. Dilemmas of Quaker Conscientious Objectors in Antebellum America 120 A. Militia Fines 120 B. Imprisonment of Four New York Quakers, Spring 1839 122 PART VI: CIVIL WAR AMERICA 126 26. A Garrisonian Mother and Her Draft-Age Sons 133 27. William Lloyd Garrison and His Son’s Exemption from Military Drill at School 135 28. Conscript Dilemmas at the Hopedale Community 135 29. Draft Experiences of a Conscripted Shaker 138 30. The Civil War Diary of a Quaker Conscript 152 31. Trials of a Quaker Conscientious Objector in the Confederate Army 172 32. A Reluctant Conscientious Objector 179 33. A Consistent War-Tax Objector 187 34. A Mennonite Farmer Hires a Substitute 192 35. Brethren and Mennonites as Exiles from the Confederate Draft 193 36. Adventists Confront the Draft 198 37. A Disciple of Christ Goes the Second Mile 201 38. Christadelphians and the Draft 202 While Objections In The 20th Century Have Been Well Documented There Has Been Little Study Of Pacifist Beliefs In America's Early Conflicts. This Work Seeks To Remedy This By Shedding New Light On Early Us Religious And Military History. Edited By Peter Brock. Includes Bibliographical References.