Quakers and the AFSC: Opposing Japanese American Internment
This paper examines the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker-founded organization established in 1917, and its humanitarian work throughout the twentieth century. The paper traces the AFSC's origins in pacifist Quaker theology, its relief efforts during and after World War I, and its opposition to the U.S. government's internment of Japanese Americans following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It further discusses why the Nobel Committee awarded the AFSC the 1947 Peace Prize, addresses questions about the politicization of that award, and surveys the organization's continued activism during the Cold War era. The paper argues that the AFSC's consistency and moral commitment to serving the oppressed—regardless of nationality or race—distinguish it as a genuine and enduring force for peace.
- Introduction: The AFSC and Its Quaker Roots: Founding, mission, and Quaker philosophical basis
- Early Relief Work and WWI Conscientious Objectors: WWI-era pacifism, draft objectors, and European relief
- Opposition to Japanese American Internment in WWII: AFSC challenges U.S. internment policy for Japanese Americans
- The 1947 Nobel Peace Prize: Recognition and Controversy: Nobel award rationale and questions of politicization
- Cold War Activism and the AFSC's Continued Mission: AFSC advocacy during Red Scare and McCarthyism era
- Conclusion: A Legacy of Peace and Compassion: AFSC's enduring commitment to peace and the oppressed
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What makes this paper effective
- It grounds its argument in a specific historical case — the AFSC's opposition to Japanese American internment — while situating that case within a broader century-long narrative of Quaker humanitarian activism.
- It engages critically with the Nobel Committee's decision rather than accepting it uncritically, raising questions about the politicization of peace prizes and supporting that claim with a relevant contemporary comparison.
- It uses a range of academic and archival sources, including primary Quaker history journals, to lend credibility to its historical claims.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the technique of contextualizing organizational history within broader political and social frameworks. Rather than simply listing the AFSC's accomplishments, the author situates each major action — WWI relief, WWII internment opposition, Cold War activism — within the political climate of its era, showing how the organization's mission was tested and affirmed by historical pressures.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with background on the AFSC's founding and Quaker philosophy, then moves chronologically through WWI relief work, WWII internment opposition, and the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. A critical digression questions the Nobel Committee's motivations before the paper returns to trace the AFSC's Cold War activism. A brief conclusion affirms the organization's lasting legacy. The structure is primarily chronological with an evaluative thread running throughout.
Introduction: The AFSC and Its Quaker Roots
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947, was established in Philadelphia by members of the Religious Society of Friends — commonly known as the Quakers — in the spring of 1917. The link between the AFSC and the Religious Society of Friends was always somewhat tenuous, as the activism of the organization was universal enough that many non-Quakers around the world could celebrate it, while the actual tenets of Quakerism were not nearly as widely embraced as the peace movement the Religious Society of Friends participated in. Initially, the committee's goals were limited; however, over the course of the twentieth century, the AFSC embraced pacifism and began taking an active role in the fight for peace (Ingle, 2016). The AFSC essentially supported and came to the aid of victims of war, whether they were Jewish, Russian, European, African, or otherwise (Frost, 1992).
This paper discusses the background of the organization and argues that the Nobel Committee awarded the AFSC the Peace Prize because, at a time when nations were bombing one another into oblivion, the Quaker-led organization reminded the world that humanity is a value worth more than any material wealth. The basic support the AFSC provided — such as shelter and food — to people impacted by war, along with its opposition to the detention of Japanese Americans in internment camps in the United States following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, demonstrated that the organization was indifferent to the prejudices and biases motivating other groups to fight and kill one another. The Quaker-led AFSC was a reminder to the world that it could do better — and that is why it was honored by the Nobel Committee.
The AFSC is a global social justice organization whose mission is rooted in the moral philosophy of Quaker religion. Its peace activism was grounded in religious beliefs that had been expressed in public life since William Penn founded Pennsylvania as a colony offering Quakers refuge. Like their British co-religionists, American Quakers sought to serve humanity through good deeds and the pursuit of God's love.
References
Franklin, S. (2020). American Friends Service Committee. Retrieved from https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1167/american-friends-service-committee
Frost, J. W. (1992). "Our Deeds Carry Our Message": The Early History of the American Friends Service Committee. Quaker History, 81(1), 1–51.
Ingle, H. L. (2016). "Truly Radical, Non-violent, Friendly Approaches": Challenges to the American Friends Service Committee. Quaker History, 105(1), 1–21. DOI:10.1353/qkh.2016.0004.
Mechling, E. W., & Mechling, J. (1992). Hot pacifism and cold war: The American Friends Service Committee's witness for peace in 1950s America. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 78(2), 173–196.
The Nobel Prize. (2020). American Friends Service Committee. Retrieved from https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1947/friends-committee/facts/
Weir, A. (2014). Against Our Better Judgment. CreateSpace.
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