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Then there were the frightened groups who were afraid to get hurt. They would get hurt or their pocketbooks would get hurt. Then there were the out and out isolationists. I never have understood their reasoning, because they did not belong for the most part to the high-minded, noble-thinking type of pacifist who thought that it was against the laws of God to engage in war with fellow human beings. Of course, I suppose that type of mind came to the front during the First World War as it never had before in the history of the world. There were, of course, always objectors to the Civil War and to the Revolutionary War, but they were very largely persons who agreed with the other side. The Tories in the Revolutionary War just didn't want to be disconnected from England, and during the Civil War on both sides there were people who were opposed to the war. The people in the North who were opposed to the war were called Copperheads, and there was some other name for them in the South. Some of those felt that way on just narrow economic grounds. There were, of course, northern shipowners who were still making a fortune “black-birding,” carrying slaves. So there was an economic reason on their part for being opposed to the war. I'm sure there was also some conscientious objection.
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