Women against the good war
Subtitle: conscientious objection and gender on the American home front, 1941-1947
By: Rachel Waltner Goossen.
Series: Gender & American culture
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Chapel Hill
Language: eng
Number of pages: 180
Subjects: World War, 1939-1945 -- Conscientious objectors -- United States.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Moral and ethical aspects.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Women -- United States.; Women -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
Description: During World War II, more than 12,000 male conscientious objectors seeking alternatives to military service entered Civilian Public Service to do forestry, soil conservation, or other "work of national importance." But this government-sponsored, church-supported program also attracted some 2,000 women - most of whom were part of Mennonite, Amish, Brethren, or Quaker families with deeply held antiwar beliefsto 151 alternative service locations across the country.

Rachel Waltner Goossen tells the story of these women against the "good war," women who identified themselves as conscientious objectors. Despite cultural hostility and discriminatory federal policies, they sought to demonstrate their humanitarian convictions by taking part in Civilian Public Service work.

Based on little-known archival sources as well as oral history interviews and questionnaire responses, Goossen's study reveals the extent to which these women's religious and philosophical beliefs placed them on the margins of American society. Encouraged by religious traditions that prized nonconformity, these women made unusual choices, questioned government dictums, and defied societal expectations; all of which set them apart from the millions of Americans who supported the war effort.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [159]-174) and index.