Teacher Guide to Student Worksheet 1-Analysis of a ...



Teacher Guide to Student Worksheet 1-Analysis of a Conscientious Objector

| |Group 1 |Group 2 |Group 3 |

|Name of Conscientious Objector |Bayard Rustin |David Swift |Henry Scattergood |

|Where is he from? |Born in West Chester, Pennsylvania |The interview does not indicate where he is |Philadelphia |

| | |born. However, he mentions teaching in Colorado | |

| | |Springs, working at a summer work camp in | |

| | |Pennsylvania, graduate school at Yale | |

| | |(Connecticut). | |

|Religious Background |Raised in an African Methodist Episcopal Church,|Explored Quakerism as a result of their pacifist|“birthright” Quakers (His family had been Quaker|

| |converted to Quaker faith in 1936 |ideology in college. |for many generations.) |

|Occupation Before War |College student |Teacher, graduate student |Teacher |

|Category of Conscientious Objector |Absolutist |Alternativist |Alternativist-“I wasn’t a total objector; I |

| | | |didn’t say I won’t register. I realized that one|

| | | |has responsibilities as a citizen, but I wanted |

| | | |to do something constructive if I could, rather |

| | | |than go out and shoot people, and be shot at.” |

|Reasons for becoming a CO |In his letter to the draft board, Rustin objects|Influenced by graduate teacher (a Congregational|He registered as a CO because of his religious |

| |to (1) War: because it goes against basic |minister) and a fellow student (leader of a |background. “Quakers are against war, have been |

| |Hebrew-Christian social teachings of respect for|student Christian organization), he pursued the |against war, since the middle of seventeenth |

| |personality, service of the highest good, |idea of pacifism. Swift addresses his reason for|century, because people like George Fox, and |

| |overcoming evil with good, and the brotherhood |becoming a CO when he is talking about his |some of the early Quaker people, and William |

| |of man. |roommate—a famous CO—as a witness. |Penn…” |

| | | | |

| |(2) Conscription: The act of conscription sets |“I like that word: witness. Witness to the | |

| |apart man from his fellow man (which denies |futility of war, a fact that war, even though | |

| |brotherhood) and is based on the idea that evil |you may see practicable reasons why a certain | |

| |can produce good (e.g., war produce lasting |war has to be fought, war is wasteful, barbaric | |

| |peace). |custom that human beings have got to grow out | |

| | |of. And that, of course, was that we pacifists | |

| | |were bearing witness to.” | |

|Organizations under which he worked during the |Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR): an |Selective Service, Civilian Public Service |American Friends Service Committee |

|war |interfaith peace and justice organization | | |

|What did he do during the war? |He became more deeply influenced by Gandhi’s |He was first assigned to Petersham camp, where |He continued teaching, and then did refugee work|

| |teachings of nonviolence and spread the gospel |he cleared fallen timber for the U.S. Forest |in Europe and North Africa under the American |

| |of pacifism. He fought racism through |Service—“crosscut saw work, axe work, cutting it|Friends Service Committee. In Casablanca he |

| |non-violence (refusing to give up his seat on a |up, setting it up in cords.” They also deepened |headed an office which helped Spanish refugees |

| |bus). On February 17, 1944, he was found guilty |water holes used in fire fighting. He did not |by providing jobs, clothing, and helping them |

| |of resisting the draft and sent to prison. |feel that his talents and others in the camp |communicate with relatives in the United States.|

| |Protested segregation in jail. |were being fully utilized, so he wrote a letter | |

| | |to the American Friends Service Committee asking| |

| | |them to persuade Selective Service to find more | |

| | |meaningful work. He was given permission to go | |

| | |on detached service to find other projects and | |

| | |was instrumental in opening up the opportunity | |

| | |for COs to work in mental hospitals. He worked | |

| | |his last year as an orderly in the Philadelphia | |

| | |State Hospital (Byberry). | |

|Treatment by others |Rustin quote from historical marker reading: “By|While he talks about yellow paint being thrown |Overall, he seems supported by his Quaker |

| |some prison officials we were considered the |at his roommate, David Dellinger (symbolic of |community in his decision. A few non-Quakers may|

| |worst scum of the earth because we had refused |being a “yellow belly” or coward), he does not |have thought he was evading his civic |

| |to fight for our country, and because we were |mention any instances of being treated poorly |responsibilities, [quote] “…But I don’t think |

| |college educated.” |himself. In fact, quite the opposite…He mentions|there was much outward intolerance of COs at |

| | |sitting in civilian clothing next to soldiers |this time. There was more in the Civil War, and |

| |Beaten by a white prisoner while in jail. Beaten|while traveling during his detached service, |in World War I. By World War II I think people |

| |and kicked and called “nigger” for not giving up|explaining to them what he was doing, and |had begun to realize that war was a pretty |

| |his bus seat. Defended by an “elderly gentleman”|receiving nothing but respect for his actions. |terrible thing, and they might be understanding |

| |when being beaten by police. |He also talks of his mother’s unwavering |some of the reasons why people didn’t want to |

| | |support. |involve themselves in it…” |

|Did his work serve the nation? |Yes. His teaching of non-violence influenced |Yes. At first he did not feel his manual labor |Yes-by improving the lives of others in the |

| |other civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther|served the nation adequately enough and so he |world (a goal of the nation). He provided the |

| |King. What he learned during the war, he used |sought to provide more meaningful work. His |means for people in war-torn countries to get |

| |during the Civil Rights movement advocating for |efforts in opening up mental hospitals for COs |back on their feet and support themselves. |

| |equality of African Americans. |was extremely significant. As he said, they were| |

| | |meeting a human need. | |

|Do you think this person is acting on a basic |Yes, several basic rights (as delineated in his |Yes. He was acting on the right to act according|Yes. He is acting on the principle of freedom to|

|human right? Explain response. |letter to the draft board): (1) the right to |to his ethical beliefs, specifically that humans|practice his religion. |

| |practice his religion, (2) the right to follow |must stop fighting wars (despite convincing | |

| |his conscience, and (3) the right to be treated |reasons that might appear to convince them | |

| |with equality. |otherwise). | |

Citations from the Declaration of Human Rights

Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Note: Bayard Rustin cites one of the principles of Hebrew-Christian tradition as “brotherhood of man,” and feels that participation in war violates this teaching.

Article 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. …

Rustin is advocating for equality of African Americans during the war.

Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

We have heard two-thirds of this in the United States’ Declaration of Independence—‘ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’ This article, however, says “security of person” instead of “pursuit of Happiness.” What does security of person mean? Could it apply to the right of conscientious objectors? In South Africa’s Bill of Rights (article 12), it combines security of person with right of freedom and explains it as:

From article 12 (South Africa Bill of Rights):

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom and security of the person, which includes the right ­

(a) not to be deprived of freedom arbitrarily or without just cause;

(b) not to be detained without trial;

(c) to be free from all forms of violence from either public or private sources;

(d) not to be tortured in any way; and

(e) not to be treated or punished in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way.

Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

In the readings on Bayard Rustin, he writes of being beaten and taken to the police station for questioning when he refuses to give up his seat. He is also beat up in prison.

Article 18: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

This article most strongly supports the actions of conscientious objectors.

Article 23: 1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

As noted from David Swift’s interview, conscientious objectors who left their jobs to work at Civilian Public Service camps often did so for extended periods of time with little or no pay. This was the source of some resentment of their situation.

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