Arbitration and the Avoidance of War: The 19th Century American Vision
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2009
Abstract
From the Publisher
From the time of America's founding, its citizens embraced alternatives to the use of war for the settlement of international disputes. Early American political leaders understood the promise that these alternatives offered to a small, new nation. At the same time, a significant portion of the American population came to this country committed to religious ideals of pacifism and nonviolence. Quakers, Mennonites, and then a broad array of Protestant denominations provided popular support to politicians willing to resolve disputes using peaceful methods. By the early nineteenth century, Christian pacifists were particularly promoting arbitration as an alternative to war. Later in the century, political parties included arbitration in their party platforms. For almost a hundred years, strong pacifist and pragmatist commitments resulted in popular support for international arbitration. Pacifist and pragmatist programs reached the pinnacle of their influence on U.S. foreign policy between 1899 and 1918. In that period, Jane Addams, the Chicago-based social worker whose pacifism was grounded in her Christian faith, achieved international fame in pressing for alternatives to war. Elihu Root, the pragmatic secretary of war and secretary of state, worked tirelessly in the same period promoting the use of arbitration and international courts as alternatives to war. Both were winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Recommended Citation
O'Connell, Mary Ellen, "Arbitration and the Avoidance of War: The 19th Century American Vision" (2009). Book Chapters. 79.
https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/book_chapters/79
Publication Information
in The Sword and the Scale: The United States and International Courts and Tribunals 30 (Cesare Romano, ed., 2009).
Available in Kresge Law Library
KF4581 .S86 2009
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