Frances Crowe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frances Crowe
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| Born |
Frances Hyde
March 15, 1919 Carthage, Missouri, U.S.
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| Died | August 27, 2019 (aged 100) |
| Alma mater | Stephens College Syracuse University |
| Occupation | Pacifist, peace activist |
| Spouse(s) |
Thomas J. Crowe
(m. 1945; died 1997) |
| Children | three |
Frances Crowe (born Frances Hyde; March 15, 1919 – August 27, 2019) was an American peace activist and pacifist. She lived in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. A pacifist is someone who believes that war and violence are wrong.
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Early Life and Beliefs
Frances Hyde was born in Carthage, Missouri on March 15, 1919. As a child, she saw a difficult event that made her strongly against the death penalty. This belief stayed with her throughout her life.
She studied at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri (graduating in 1939). She also earned a degree from Syracuse University in 1941. Later, she did more studies at Columbia University and The New School for Social Research. In 1945, she married Thomas Crowe, who was a doctor. They had three children together.
Becoming a Peace Activist
During World War II, Frances Crowe worked for Bell Labs. After the war ended in 1945, cities like Dresden, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki were bombed. These events made her decide to become a peace activist. She believed in working for peace and stopping wars.
Frances joined many protests. Sometimes, her actions led to her arrest and even time in jail. She was a very active member of several groups. These included the Religious Society of Friends (also known as Quakers) and the American Friends Service Committee. She also worked with the War Resisters League.
Founding Peace Groups
Frances helped start the Traprock Peace Center in Deerfield, Massachusetts. She also co-founded the Committee to End Apartheid in Springfield, Massachusetts. Apartheid was a system of racial separation in South Africa.
In the 1960s, she started the Northampton, Massachusetts chapter of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. She also founded the Sane Nuclear Policy Committee, which is now called Peace Action. Another group she started was the Valley Peace Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. She also took part in activities with Women Against the War and Amnesty International.
Vietnam War and Tax Resistance
In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Frances became a draft counselor. She helped over 2,000 young people learn about applying to be a conscientious objector. A conscientious objector is someone who refuses to fight in wars because of their beliefs. She continued to support conscientious objectors for many years.
When the Iraq War began, Frances decided she could not pay for war. She became a war tax refuser. This meant she refused to pay a part of her taxes that would go towards military spending. She was also a key member of the Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq. She helped form the Alliance for Peace and Justice in Western Massachusetts. This group worked to bring troops home from Afghanistan.
Fighting Nuclear Power
Since the 1970s, Frances Crowe was very active in the movement against nuclear power. She wanted to promote safe energy in New England. In April 1977, she was one of many people arrested at a protest. This protest was at the construction site of the Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant.
She was arrested many times for her peaceful protests. For example, in September 2009, she was arrested at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. She was 91 years old when she was arrested in Washington D.C. in December 2010. She was arrested again at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in January 2014, at 94 years old. Her last arrest was in June 2017, when she was 98. She was protesting a pipeline being built through a Massachusetts forest.
Personal Life
Frances Crowe became a vegetarian in 1971. This happened after she read a book called Diet for a Small Planet. She was a Quaker.
Awards and Recognition
Frances Crowe received the Courage of Conscience award on May 4, 2007. This award was given by the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusetts. She earned it for her lifelong work for peace. This included her refusal to pay war taxes and her eco-friendly lifestyle.
In December 2009, Frances also received the Joe A. Callaway award. In her speech, she shared her belief that true understanding comes from deep inside.
See also
- Anti-nuclear protests in the United States
- Harvey Wasserman
- List of peace activists
