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The Fight For Peace: A History Of Antiwar Movements In America
Chronicles the efforts of anti-war activists throughout history from the Revolutionary War to the recent conflict in Iraq.
136 pages, Library Binding
First published August 13, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 19, 2020
This is a quick, very readable history of about 50 different peace movements and organizations in the U.S. from 1775-2003. It was written for teens, but I read it in 2-3 days as 70-year-old and learned plenty. Each group is put into its historical-political context, so that any potential peace activist gets concrete examples of the standard obstacles they will face, and the odd, even uncomfortable coalitions they may occasionally work with. Peace work is political, and politics is messy.
There have been many distinct reasons to oppose wars that the US has waged. Some efforts have had measures of success; others have been bulldozed. Some wars were never fought, and the peace activists have good reason to count their work as key. The reader is introduced to important religious strains of peace work: Quakers, Unitarians, Mennonites, Catholics, Buddhists, and Muslims, as well as those who were motivated by the obvious, secular fact that war causes suffering. Much of the book is organized around specific events, such as the violent expulsion of Native Americans, the very controversial War of 1812, the 1848 war to steal one-half of Mexico, the US Civil War, the 1898-1902 war to conquer the Philippines, WW I, WW II, the Vietnam War, and the Iraq wars. Many other military actions, wars, and invasions are skipped over, and the generalizations are made quickly. The book is not preachy, and the telling is straightforward, but an adult will find many of the summaries too quickly drawn.
It is well-spiced with photos and drawings, and key historical peace activists are brought to life. Some had a lifelong commitment to the work, others opposed one specific war, or did this work in tandem with some other social justice movement such as the abolition of slavery or women’s suffrage; some had economic motives, such as the maintenance of trade. Many faced harsh criticism, since they crossed cultural boundaries and refused to despise those of another race or language or nationality, e.g., the Quakers were called traitors because they wouldn’t participate in the attacks on Native Americans.
The earliest enduring peace organizations in the U.S., such as the Massachusetts Peace Society and the American Peace Society, were founded and maintained by powerful figures such as William Ladd, and joined by well-know figures such as William Lloyd Garrison, the famous abolitionist. The APS, and similar institutions, opposed the war hawks who intended for the U.S. to seize all of North America by military conquest.
A key section of the book deals with the Civil War and the anti-war forces in the North, both northerners who weren’t so opposed to slavery, and the Irish who didn’t want to be drafted. Southern anti-war activists, and especially South Carolina’s William Holding, are mentioned prominently.
After the awful blood-letting of the Civil War, new groups arose, such as the Universal Peace Union, and the American Peace Society was re-energized. At the end of the 1890s, the U.S. came late the party of those imperial powers that grabbed colonies, and the peace movement tried to stop, and then ameliorated the bloodshed of the Philippine- American War. Many famous Americans, such as William Jennings Bryan, William James, Andrew Carnegie, and ex-president Grover Cleveland animated a powerful thrust to peace, but lost out to Teddy Roosevelt and the Republicans.
Massive peace activism continued before WW I, propelled by many interests, such as international socialism, which argued that workers shouldn’t be killing workers to please bosses and war profiteers. The key socialist leader was Eugene V. Debs. Another massive push came from women who were also driving the suffrage movement to victory.
Even Eleanor Roosevelt was prominent in the Emergency Peace Campaign that tried to forestall war in the late 1930s. The period between the world wars saw both left-leaning and right leaning peace movements in the U.S., some of them isolationists, others having links to Germany, many being socialists and linked to labor unions.
After WW II, one of the strongest themes was the anti-nuclear movement, struggling to ban the bomb. The book does not cover the war in Korea. Finally, in its sections dealing with the events of the last sixty years, overview is of the opposition to the Vietnam War and the Iraq invasions. Key organizations, issues, and leaders are named.
There is much to be learned about strategies, tactics, coalitions, achievements, failures, and backlash. Every page of this book invites the reader to learn more and get involved. The publisher, Lerner, puts out thousands of titles for young people. The quality and usefulness of this one speaks well for them.
There have been many distinct reasons to oppose wars that the US has waged. Some efforts have had measures of success; others have been bulldozed. Some wars were never fought, and the peace activists have good reason to count their work as key. The reader is introduced to important religious strains of peace work: Quakers, Unitarians, Mennonites, Catholics, Buddhists, and Muslims, as well as those who were motivated by the obvious, secular fact that war causes suffering. Much of the book is organized around specific events, such as the violent expulsion of Native Americans, the very controversial War of 1812, the 1848 war to steal one-half of Mexico, the US Civil War, the 1898-1902 war to conquer the Philippines, WW I, WW II, the Vietnam War, and the Iraq wars. Many other military actions, wars, and invasions are skipped over, and the generalizations are made quickly. The book is not preachy, and the telling is straightforward, but an adult will find many of the summaries too quickly drawn.
It is well-spiced with photos and drawings, and key historical peace activists are brought to life. Some had a lifelong commitment to the work, others opposed one specific war, or did this work in tandem with some other social justice movement such as the abolition of slavery or women’s suffrage; some had economic motives, such as the maintenance of trade. Many faced harsh criticism, since they crossed cultural boundaries and refused to despise those of another race or language or nationality, e.g., the Quakers were called traitors because they wouldn’t participate in the attacks on Native Americans.
The earliest enduring peace organizations in the U.S., such as the Massachusetts Peace Society and the American Peace Society, were founded and maintained by powerful figures such as William Ladd, and joined by well-know figures such as William Lloyd Garrison, the famous abolitionist. The APS, and similar institutions, opposed the war hawks who intended for the U.S. to seize all of North America by military conquest.
A key section of the book deals with the Civil War and the anti-war forces in the North, both northerners who weren’t so opposed to slavery, and the Irish who didn’t want to be drafted. Southern anti-war activists, and especially South Carolina’s William Holding, are mentioned prominently.
After the awful blood-letting of the Civil War, new groups arose, such as the Universal Peace Union, and the American Peace Society was re-energized. At the end of the 1890s, the U.S. came late the party of those imperial powers that grabbed colonies, and the peace movement tried to stop, and then ameliorated the bloodshed of the Philippine- American War. Many famous Americans, such as William Jennings Bryan, William James, Andrew Carnegie, and ex-president Grover Cleveland animated a powerful thrust to peace, but lost out to Teddy Roosevelt and the Republicans.
Massive peace activism continued before WW I, propelled by many interests, such as international socialism, which argued that workers shouldn’t be killing workers to please bosses and war profiteers. The key socialist leader was Eugene V. Debs. Another massive push came from women who were also driving the suffrage movement to victory.
Even Eleanor Roosevelt was prominent in the Emergency Peace Campaign that tried to forestall war in the late 1930s. The period between the world wars saw both left-leaning and right leaning peace movements in the U.S., some of them isolationists, others having links to Germany, many being socialists and linked to labor unions.
After WW II, one of the strongest themes was the anti-nuclear movement, struggling to ban the bomb. The book does not cover the war in Korea. Finally, in its sections dealing with the events of the last sixty years, overview is of the opposition to the Vietnam War and the Iraq invasions. Key organizations, issues, and leaders are named.
There is much to be learned about strategies, tactics, coalitions, achievements, failures, and backlash. Every page of this book invites the reader to learn more and get involved. The publisher, Lerner, puts out thousands of titles for young people. The quality and usefulness of this one speaks well for them.
December 7, 2023
This was highly educational and interesting. A must-read for any American History teacher.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews