ARKANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY, Volume 43 (Summer 1984), p. 153     Arkansas's Reaction to the Men Who Said "No" to World War II   By CYNTHIA HASTAS MORRIS* 1349 Carol Drive, Memphis, Tennessee 38116   A SIGNIFICANT, yet often forgotten segment of this nation's war eras are the men who, for religious or philosophical reasons, were opposed to war. Sympathetic attention to those men called conscientious objectors is at its height when a war effort lacks the overwhelming support of the populace. But such was not the case in the United States during World War II. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent declaration of war ushered in an unprecedented wave of nationalism. The support of nearly every neighbor, friend, and family member went with the 15,050,000 American men who were inducted into the armed forces. In the public's eye, there was little room for dissent.   In large industrial states, the conscientious objector often went unnoticed by the public. But in rural areas where social life sometimes centered around membership in veterans' organizations and whole towns were made up of extended families, any young man out of uniform was suspected of fifth column or subversive activities. How did the people of the largely rural, southern state of Arkansas react to war resisters? Were conscientious objectors tolerated? How many of the state's men applied for conscientious objector (CO) status, and how many CO classification were issued? This paper will examine the reactions of Arkansans to COs during World War II by taking a close look at the appeals process, the work camp, and the prison alternatives to military conscription. The paper will begin with a discussion of the national provisions for selective service implemented in 1940. _________________________ * The author is a master's degree candidate at Arkansas State University, Jonesboro. She was formerly a newspaper editor in Kentucky and Tennessee. This paper was presented at the regional meeting of Phi Alpha Theta in Jonesboro in April 1983, and was awarded the prize for Best Paper.           Contents  Words  Study Questions  Related Sites Next Page