slavery
Slavery: Removing the Exception
See our Peace & Life Referendums website. by Rachel MacNair State constitutions from the late 1800s often followed the example of the times by prohibiting slavery except for those convicted of a crime. Measures to remove this exception were placed on the ballot by the legislature in Nebraska and Utah for the November 3, 2020…
The Civil War Conundrum, 150 Years Later
by Rachel MacNair My great-grandfather was born a Quaker, but when he married my great-grandmother, he converted to being Methodist for her sake. His parents were Quakers, and once I took an interest in genealogy, I found that, through them I had Quaker ancestors (that is, members of the Religious Society of Friends) going all…
Explaining Belligerency
by Rachel MacNair Why did U.S. slaveholders insist on expanding slavery into new territories, despite existing political wisdom that keeping the practice out of places where it might encounter stronger opposition would be more practical? Why are there advocates for war, or for abortion and euthanasia, who can’t stand the idea of conscientious objection, even…