Civilian Public Service Camp Newsletter Collection, 1941-1944

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Born out of a unique collaboration between the United States government and the historic peace churches, the first Civilian Public Service camps were established in 1941 to provide conscientious objectors the option of performing alternative service under civilian command. Nearly 12,000 COs served in the 152 CPS camps in projects ranging from soil conservation, agriculture, and forestry to psychiatric care. While the work was ostensibly of national importance, many COs complained that the labor was menial at best, and with their churches and families responsible for financing the camps, and no ability to earn wages, the families of many COs found themselves impoverished both during and after the war.During their time off, many of the men in the CPS camps published newsletters that offer insight into the conditions of internment, the prisoners' religious motives, social life inside the camps, and news from home and the war. This collection consists of newsletters published in camps in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Indiana, Maryland, and Colorado.