You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
RE: Philadelphia Pacifists Abroad: The American Friends Service Committee in Russia 1918
Good intro to the subject. Do you have anything on the origins of the "conscientious objector" status? Did it originate during WWI? Any idea of how many people claimed CO status then? Or since?
I don't have any hard numbers for you, but my understanding is the CO status originated during WWI. COs were still made to serve US interests abroad, hence organizations like the AFSC. Those who refused to serve the US alongside the military in a non-fighting role were imprisoned.
I'd like to read more about those who avoided mandatory conscription, including those who bought their way out as far back as the Civil War.