Preface
When the opportunity to edit this encyclopedia on U.S. peace and antiwar move-
ments came along, I was happy to be able to accept. My interest in the subject origi-
nated during the Vietnam War as I experienced the war’s impact while a student in
high school. Eventually, my study of history led to gradu­ate degrees at the Univer-
sity of Kentucky that focused on investigations of the intersection of religion and
peace activism. One of my longest professional associations has been with the Peace
History Society, and I am pleased that several of my colleagues in the PHS have made
significant contributions to ­these volumes.
Opposition to War: An Encyclopedia of U.S. Peace and Antiwar Movements offers an
extensive coverage of efforts for peace throughout the history of the United States
from the colonial period through the 21st ­century. ­ These two volumes provide infor-
mation on the most impor­tant individuals, organ­izations, events, concepts, strate-
gies, reforms, and cultural links. The core of the encyclopedia is the alphabetically
arranged list of 375 entries. ­ These entries include extended coverage of the re­sis­
tance to ­ every major American war and to social reforms affiliated with the peace
movement. An extensive introductory essay helps to define peace activism and
places the entries in a broad chronological context. I anticipate that readers ­will
come away from this work with a greater understanding of and appreciation for
peace work in the United States and can leave ­behind some of their misconcep-
tions as well.
Opposition to War offers a unique combination. The information in ­these vol-
umes is historical rather than theoretical and, by focusing on peace activism in the
United States, the work affords greater depth than that available in reference works
on international peace making. It also contains several ele­ments that I hope ­ will
enhance its usefulness. ­ These include a lengthy chronology, a substantial bibliog-
raphy, a guide to related topics, a ­table of contents, an index, numerous illustra-
tions, and a list of the more than 130 contributors. Throughout the work, dates
begin with the day of the month rather than the month itself, such as 15 January
2017. Several contributors reside outside the United States, but all spellings meet
standard U.S. usage for consistency.
—­Mitchell K. Hall
Department of History
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Previous Page Next Page