Call Number:

MC.1236

Repository:

Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections

Extent:

1.5 linear feet (6 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Civilian Public Service publications (HC.MC 1236), Quaker & Special Collections,Haverford College, Haverford, PA.

Date:

1941-1946 (inclusive)

Creator:

Civilian Public Service

Abstract:

This collection consists primarily of the publications of conscientious objectors (COs) working at Civilian Public Service (CPS) camps in the United States during World War II, performing "work of national importance" in lieu of combat. Camps were established for various purposes, from firefighting in the rural West to caring for mental patients and the elderly. The publications cover areas across the United States, although are focused in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and California. Two publications appear to be from outside the United States. Publications range from the basic to the elaborate and cover all aspects of the lives of COs-- the mundane as well as the profound. Many publications intermittently published tables of all men who were in that specific camp at the time, or of all men who had passed through the camp. Publication frequency ranged from weekly to quarterly. A few other publications are also included, which were not directly published by COs but which share pacifist leanings or are otherwise related.

Civilian Public Service camps, which provided men with an alternative to traditional military service during World War II, began to form as soon as the military began drafting soldiers in 1941, and some remained open until 1947. The camps were run by groups affiliated with the so-called 'peace churches'-- the Church of the Brethren, the Religious Society of Friends, and the Mennonites. However, men of all denominations, of other faiths, and of no organized faith, are recorded in these publications.

This collection consists primarily of the publications of conscientious objectors (COs) working at Civilian Public Service (CPS) camps during World War II, performing "work of national importance" in lieu of combat. Camps documented in this collection were established for various purposes, from firefighting in the rural West to caring for mental patients and the elderly. The publications cover areas across the United States, although they are focused in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and California. There are publications from Puerto Rico and a vague "Latin American Unit." These publications range from the very basic (a single sheet of typewritten paper announcing the week's events) to the elaborate (50-page magazines on glossy paper with black-and-white photographs) and cover all aspects of the lives of COs-- the mundane as well as the profound. Many publications intermittently published tables of all men who were in that specific camp at the time, or of all men who had passed through the camp. Publication frequency ranged from weekly to quarterly. A few other publications are also included, which were not directly published by COs but which share pacifist leanings or are otherwise related.