The Legalization of Conscience Quaker Pacifism in the American Civil War

Aidan Delgado

Date of Award

2006

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Hite, Gregory

Keywords

Quakerism, Conscientious Objection, Pacifism

Area of Concentration

Religion

Abstract

This thesis examines the foundations of conscientious objector legislation during the American Civil War. Using a combination of primary and secondary sources, this essay traces development of conscientious objection in America from the early, informal period to the codification of objector law at the end of the Civil War. During the Civil War, the governmental approach to dealing with conscientious objectors shifted dramatically. Prior to this period, conscientious objection was recognized only through one�s membership in a historically pacifist group. Driven by the democratization of religious practice in the Second Great Awakening and in response to the widespread conscription during the Civil War, the government changed its criteria for classification as an objector to an �individual identity,� meaning that members of pacifist sects had to apply for recognition on a case-by-case basis. Membership in a peace church alone was no longer sufficient, and the individual had to prove in a legalistic manner that they were a �sincere� member of their peace church. Therefore, the definition of objectors changed from a group-understanding of pacifism to an individual understanding.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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