Call Number:

DG.004

Repository:

Swarthmore College Peace Collection

Extent:

1.75 linear ft.

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of item] in the American Union Against Miliatrism Records (DG 004), Swarthmore College Peace Collection.

Date:

1915-1922 (inclusive)

Creator:

American Union Against Militarism, American Union Against Militarism. Civil Liberties Bureau, Addams, Jane, 1860-1935, Balch, Emily Greene, 1867-1961, Baldwin, Roger N. (Roger Nash), 1884-1981, Eastman, Crystal, 1881-1928, Forbes, Rose Dabney, 1864-1947, Gale, Zona, 1874-1938, Hallinan, Charles T., Hull, William I. (William Isaac), 1868-1939, Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931, Lynch, Frederick, 1867-1934, Mussey, Henry Raymond, 1875-1940, Nearing, Scott, 1883-1983, Rankin, Belle, Thomas, Norman, 1884-1968, Villard, Oswald Garrison, 1872-1949, Warbasse, James Peter, 1866-1957, and Wald, Lillian D., 1867-1940

Abstract:

In 1915 a group of New York pacifists and near-pacifists organized the "Anti-militarism Committee" to combat the war spirit of the time. Activities included lobbying, publishing, a lecture campaign, and the establishment of a Civil Liberties Bureau. The most notable achievements were the work in the successful effort to avert war with Mexico in 1916 and the encouragement of opposition to peacetime conscription following World War I. The office was raided by the government and American Union Against Militarism publications were sometimes stopped by the postal authorities but the organization continued unintimidated.

In 1915 a group of New York pacifists and near-pacifists organized the "Anti-militarism Committee" to combat the war spirit of the time. About January 1916 the name was changed to the "Anti-preparedness Committee" and a program of lobbying in Washington was set up. Later in the year the names was changed again, this time to the American Union Against Militarism. The group was also known for a time as the American Union for a Democratic Peace and the League for an American Peace.

Activities included lobbying, publishing, a lecture campaign, and the establishment of a Civil Liberties Bureau. Out of this latter grew the National Civil Liberties Bureau which later became the American Civil Liberties Union (at the Peace Collection). (See the finding aid for the ACLU Papers at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University.)

Most notable achievements were the work in the successful effort to avert war with Mexico in 1916 and the encouragement of opposition to peacetime conscription following World War I. The office was raided by the government and AUAM publications were sometimes stopped by the postal authorities but the organization continued unintimidated. Among the ost active members were Emily Greene Balch, Crystal Eastman, Oswald Garrison Villard, Charles Hallinan, Paul Kellogg, Amos Pinchot, Henry R. Mussey, Alice Lewisohn, Zona Gale, and Florence Kelley.

All of the known surviving records are deposited in the Peace Collection. The records include minutes, secretary's letters to the Executive Committee, fragmentary records of financial pledges, form letters, press releases, bulletins, printed publications, and some correspondence.

American Union Against Militarism materials are arranged in four boxes. The first three boxes contain administrative records and correspondence. The fourth box contains printed literature and press releases issued by the organization. The fourth box also contains a folder of material that arrived at the Peace Collection after the rest of the records were microfilmed. Posters are stored separately in the SCPC Poster Collection. They are not microfilmed. The arrangement of the microfilmed records is in a different order than the original documents.