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By Phoebe and Susannah
For hundreds of years there has been a United States Military. With that military there was a draft. With the draft came Conscientious Objectors and draft dodgers, and then there were problems. First of all, what is a Conscientious Objector? A CO is someone who, because of religious, moral, or ethical beliefs, doesn't believe in violence or killing. That's why it is a "conscientious" objector, because it's about if your conscience will allow killing. At first a CO had to be religious, but now, because of the Supreme Court case United States v. Seeger, they don't have to be religious, they just need to have a good and strong belief. A Draft Dodger is someone who is drafted into war and tries to escape it, usually by moving to another country like Canada.
The reason so many problems occurred with Conscientious Objectors was because the lines in which someone is considered a CO are not very clear. To prove you are a CO you need to be asked many questions to see if you are sincere in your beliefs. To further confirm your beliefs you can show evidence such as peace events you have attended, your church's name, essays or other pieces of work you have written, diary entries, interviews or statements from family & friends or religious leaders and many more things. Today with the Selective Service System, you don't apply to be a CO when you sign up, but if there was a war and you were drafted, you would apply then.
In the past, when there was a draft, COs had other options. During WWII, there was something called CPS: Civilian Public Service. It was a program for COs who refused to take part in any military service. They did services like forestry, firefighting, park services, and working in hospitals and mental aid facilities.
Note to parents and community members: If there is any information on which you would like to comment or provide feedback/insight, please click on the discussion tab above. You must have a wikispace account. Please click here for those directions.
By Phoebe and Susannah
For hundreds of years there has been a United States Military. With that military there was a draft. With the draft came Conscientious Objectors and draft dodgers, and then there were problems. First of all, what is a Conscientious Objector? A CO is someone who, because of religious, moral, or ethical beliefs, doesn't believe in violence or killing. That's why it is a "conscientious" objector, because it's about if your conscience will allow killing. At first a CO had to be religious, but now, because of the Supreme Court case United States v. Seeger, they don't have to be religious, they just need to have a good and strong belief. A Draft Dodger is someone who is drafted into war and tries to escape it, usually by moving to another country like Canada.
The reason so many problems occurred with Conscientious Objectors was because the lines in which someone is considered a CO are not very clear. To prove you are a CO you need to be asked many questions to see if you are sincere in your beliefs. To further confirm your beliefs you can show evidence such as peace events you have attended, your church's name, essays or other pieces of work you have written, diary entries, interviews or statements from family & friends or religious leaders and many more things. Today with the Selective Service System, you don't apply to be a CO when you sign up, but if there was a war and you were drafted, you would apply then.
In the past, when there was a draft, COs had other options. During WWII, there was something called CPS: Civilian Public Service. It was a program for COs who refused to take part in any military service. They did services like forestry, firefighting, park services, and working in hospitals and mental aid facilities.