Conscience: Two Soldiers, Two Pacifists, One Family: A Test of Will and Faith in World War I

Norman Thomas (1884-1968) and his brothers' upbringing prepared them for a life of service--but their calls to conscience threatened to tear them apart. This volume is an account of the remarkable Thomas brothers in a time of trial, exploring the difficult decisions the four brothers faced with the advent of World War I. Sons of a Presbyterian minister and grandsons of missionaries, they shared a rigorous moral upbringing, a Princeton education, and a faith in the era's spirit of hope. Ralph enlisted right away, heeding President Wilson's call. Arthur, the youngest, was less certain about the righteousness of the cause but sensitive to his obligation as a citizen. Evan became a conscientious objector; when the truce was signed in 1918, he was in solitary confinement. Norman left his ministry in the tenements of East Harlem, New York, and began the course he would follow for the rest of his life, fighting for civil liberties and social justice, and against violence as a method of change. This volume tracks how four young men navigated a period of great uncertainty and upheaval.