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 the grounds of conscience. The author, who is 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 so ... More

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 the grounds of conscience. The author, who is 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. One of the most striking features to emerge from these documents is the critical role of religion in the history of American pacifism. The author finds that virtually all who refused military service in this period were inspired by religious convictions, with Quakers frequently being the most ardent dissenters. In the antebellum period, however, the pacifist spectrum expanded to include nonsectarians such as William Lloyd Garrison, founder of the New England Non‐Resistance Society. The book is arranged in six parts: Colonial America; English West Indies; Revolutionary America; Upper Canada [now Ontario]; The new republic to antebellum America; and Civil war America.