Conscientious Objectors to War

Conscientious objectors are people who, for religious, moral, or political reasons, oppose war. Conscientious objectors may refuse to contribute labor, resources, or both to war. Conscientious objection can take a variety of forms, such as not serving in the military, not registering for the draft, or not paying war taxes.

Conscription (compulsory military service on behalf of the state) dates back to feudal obligations, but it was formalized as a permanent institution in the Revolutionary France of 1793. Even though it has been recognized institutionally in the 20th century, primarily by the Protestant countries of continental Northern Europe, conscientious objection, too, goes back further in time. It is linked with the major religious movements in Europe.

Unlike in many countries in continental Europe, in Britain conscription was taken for granted after the 19th century. These European traditions are reflected in some of the institutions in the New World. Former Spanish colonies, many Latin American countries of today, followed continental Europe in instituting universal male conscription. Former British colonies, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, on the other hand, did not adopt conscription.

Despite an absence of universal conscription, military service was expected of the new settlers in North America as Puritans fought Native Americans. Members of the peace churches—Quakers, Brethren, Mennonites, Rogerenes, and Schwekenfelders—refused to fight or aid in the building of forts. They were often persecuted for their refusal to fight. By the mid-17th century, some colonies had exempted Quakers and others from military service. Other citizens were fined or imprisoned for refusing to serve in militias or maintain forts. Colonial governments forced conscientious objectors to pay for substitutes or face property confiscation.

During the American Revolution, anti-British forces raided the property of those who refused to contribute to the war effort. In the face of soldier shortage, pacifists were forced into military service. Peace church members continued to resist military service and to refuse payment of fines or war-related taxes. As a consequence, many pacifists had their property confiscated by local authorities.

In the 1830s, organizations such as the American Peace Society and the New England Non-Resistance Society linked Christian ethics, abolition of slavery, and pacifism. In 1846, both groups led an organized campaign against the Mexican War. In his essay on civil disobedience, Henry David Thoreau, a representative of political pacifism, presented his rationale for refusing to pay war taxes, and his subsequent imprisonment became a classic example of nonviolent resistance as a means of social change.

During the Civil War, U.S. Congress enacted the first federal conscription legislation, requiring all male citizens between the ages of 20 and 45 to serve in the military if called. Passed in 1863, the act provided no exemptions for conscientious objectors, but excused from service anyone who paid 300 dollars. The class bias in this legislation was so transparent that draft riots erupted among poorer citizens in many major cities. Rioters also included white citizens who attacked and killed African Americans who they perceived to be the cause of the Civil War.

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