"Highly recommended. Editor's Choice." Video Librarian

Yet 40,000 Americans refused to shoulder weapons in "the good war" because their conscience would not allow them to kill another human being.

In the face of criticism and scorn, the men challenged the limits of democracy in wartime. Many participated in the social movements that transformed America in the generations that followed. This is their story.

Those featured are:

DAVE DELLINGER, a well-known anti-war activist from World War II until his recent death in 2004. He was a member of the Chicago Seven. At the trial Dave and his co-defendants turned the tables on their accusers and put the government on trial.

STEPHEN CARY became commissioner for European Relief for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) after the war. This work resulted in the Nobel Peace Prize for the Quaker group. He later became President of Haverford College. He died in 2002.

BILL SUTHERLAND has lived in Africa for the past five decades. A co-founder of Americans for South African Resistance, The American Committee on Africa, and World Peace Brigades, he has been fostering Pan-African relations for all of his adult life.

CARLOS CORTEZ has been a construction laborer, factory worker, janitor, journalist, salesman, curator, printmaker and poet. He is actively involved in Chicago's Mexican community, and his art work includes homages to Cesar Chavez.

ASA WATKINS worked in a mental hospital and became a reformer of the Virginia mental health system. Watkins was a lifetime activist and artist who taught special education for decades. He died in 2001.

GEORGE HOUSER was a founder of Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) with James Farmer and Bayard Rustin during the war. In 1947 he and Rustin organized the first Freedom Ride for integration of interstate buses, the Journey of Reconciliation. Houser served as President of the Fellowship of Reconciliation.



Grade Level: 10-12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 2002     Copyright Date: 2000
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-325-0     VHS ISBN: 1-56029-920-7

Reviews "For its skill in uncovering a long-forgotten history, its effectiveness in tracing continuities from World War II to the sixties, its skill in using history to raise moral questions, this is a superb example of film history." Organization of American Historians' citation for the Erik Barnouw Film of the Year Award "Fascinating...It is a story of personal courage, idealism, and nonconformity based on both ethical and religious beliefs--about men whose love of country could not extend to killing their fellow man." The Objector "In a time when it's again easy to endorse any military response to the savagery of terrorists, The Good War provides a necessary reminder that pacifists also can be heroic and patriotic." Christianity Today "Highly recommended for public, school, and academic libraries." Library Journal "This high quality program will be useful in media collections which support courses in contemporary issues and history." School Library Journal "A fascinating compelling look at WWII conscientious objectors...Highly Recommended. Editor's Choice." * * * * Video Librarian