War Resistance: In Historical Perspective

Historians have long emphasized the importance of wars in United States history, yet war resistance has been virtually unmentioned, not only in our public schools but even in colleges and universities. Despite the omission of such material in the traditional accounts of our national past, war resistance has a history and war resisters, like Black Americans, deserve full accessibility to their past. To short-change this important aspect of American life is to cheat our dissenters of their historical roots. For even though violence and wars permeate much of our heritage, there is a solid tradition of anti-war activity.