Was it too much to be suited up if they take up arms? How much help was enough to seem didn’t condoning? Because of their COs were often treated poorly. Sometimes they “stubbornness” were even separated in hopes of shaming them into cooperation. This was still problematic for Amish men however, because their belief system required them to not participate in the war machine whatsoever, combatant or not. March 1918, Congress passed the Farm Furlough “On 16 Bill, ostensibly releasing soldiers needed in agriculture. In fact, however, the new law offered a means of moving absolutist COs out of army camps and onto farms for the duration of the war.” (Keim, 48) These COs furloughed to farm work were not welcomed by the communities to which they were moved. The public was upset with the wages they would be earning while not having to be in battle like others making the same amount. As one can see, there was some progression in the issues of being a conscientious objector, but for the Amish the biggest changes occurred with World War II. World War II was different from the previous wars in that it seemed more versus “good which led to less people applying for a CO status. The CPS- Civilian Public Service evil” emerged which was an alternative developed for those who did not accept noncombatant action and did not want to face jail time for noncompliance. This alternative allowed them to do work of national importance, away from the war machine. Then came a program was often referred to by the name given to COs in the military- I-W. This helped give the men a better chance to witness against the war instead of being moved to some out of the way camp for working. (Keim 57-8) Despite the progress, the Amish still struggled with the options available, because many men seemed to be assigned to hospitals and the like where they were constantly immersed in the world. Olshan quotes from 1996-72,1” “English” “Steering
Was it too much to be suited up if they didn’t take up arms? How much help was enough to seem condoning? Because of their “stubbornness” COs were often treated poorly. Sometimes they were even separated in hopes of shaming them into cooperation. This was still problematic for Amish men however, because their belief system required them to not participate in the war machine whatsoever, combatant or not. “On 16 March 1918, Congress passed the Farm Furlough Bill, ostensibly releasing soldiers needed in agriculture. In fact, however, the new law offered a means of moving absolutist COs out of army camps and onto farms for the duration of the war.” (Keim, 48) These COs furloughed to farm work were not welcomed by the communities to which they were moved. The public was upset with the wages they would be earning while not having to be in battle like others making the same amount. As one can see, there was some progression in the issues of being a conscientious objector, but for the Amish the biggest changes occurred with World War II. World War II was different from the previous wars in that it seemed more “good versus evil” which led to less people applying for a CO status. The CPS- Civilian Public Service emerged which was an alternative developed for those who did not accept noncombatant action and did not want to face jail time for noncompliance. This alternative allowed them to do work of national importance, away from the war machine. Then came a program was often referred to by the name given to COs in the military- I-W. This helped give the men a better chance to witness against the war instead of being moved to some out of the way camp for working. (Keim 57-8) Despite the progress, the Amish still struggled with the options available, because many men seemed to be assigned to hospitals and the like where they were constantly immersed in the “English” world. Olshan quotes from “Steering 1996-72,1”
WhitehallAmish.docx