Conscientious Objectors, Camp Devens, Massachusetts

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Description

In WWI, conscientious objectors – those who refused to fight in the war because of their beliefs – were permitted to serve in non-combatant roles in the military. Conscientious objectors who refused to participate in the war in any capacity were subject to imprisonment in camps such as this.

The original caption for the above photograph reads: Conscientious objectors, Camp Devens, Mass.

Citation

This primary source comes from the Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs.

National Archives Identifier: 31480106

Full Citation: Photograph 165-WW-165A-32; Enemy Activities – Miscellaneous – Conscientious objectors, Camp Devens, Massachusetts; 12/1918; Enemy Activities – Miscellaneous; American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs, 1917 – 1918; Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs, Record Group 165; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/conscientious-objectors-enemies/, April 1, 2026]

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