James Peck (pacifist) facts for kids

James Peck (December 19, 1914 – July 12, 1993) was an American activist. He believed in and practiced nonviolent resistance. He used this approach during World War II and in the Civil Rights Movement.

Peck was the only person to join both the Journey of Reconciliation in 1947 and the first Freedom Ride in 1961. Many called him a white civil rights hero. He was arrested over 60 times from the 1930s to the 1980s for his protests.

Biography

Early Life and Beliefs

James Peck, often called "Jim," was born in Manhattan. His father, Samuel Peck, was a rich clothing seller who died when Jim was eleven. Jim went to a private boarding school called Choate Rosemary Hall.

Even though his family had changed their religion, Jim felt like an outsider at school. He liked being around smart people and developed his own strong ideas. He started at Harvard in 1933.

At Harvard, Jim became a better writer. He also did things that shocked his classmates. For example, he asked a Black girl to be his date to a dance. This was a way to challenge his family's and society's views. He left Harvard after his first year.

Peck was married to Paula Zweier for 22 years. She was a cooking teacher and author. They had two sons, Charles and Samuel. Paula Peck passed away in 1972.

Jim Peck always criticized both major U.S. political parties. He believed there would always be a struggle between the powerful ("Upperdogs") and the less powerful ("Underdogs"). He always chose to support the "underdogs."

He was part of many groups that worked for peace and civil rights. He spent his life as a journalist who wrote about radical ideas. He helped the War Resisters League and edited their newspaper. He also edited the News Bulletin for the Worker's Defense League.

Fighting for Workers' Rights: The 1930s

Jim Peck's first protest was in New York City in 1934. It was a rally against the Nazis. His second protest was at the May Day parade that same year.

In 1935, Peck worked on a boat as a deck boy. He joined a strike for better food during his first trip. Later that year, in Pensacola, Florida, he joined striking dockworkers. He said their union hall was fully integrated, meaning Black and white workers were together.

Police arrested Peck for giving out union papers. This was his first arrest. He helped start what became the National Maritime Union, a powerful union for sailors.

In 1936, Peck joined more strikes with dockworkers in New York City. He was arrested again on May 11, 1936. Police fought with the striking sailors. Peck was beaten and arrested with 220 other strikers. This was the largest group ever brought to that courtroom at once.

Standing Up During World War II

During World War II, Jim Peck was a conscientious objector. This means he refused to fight in the war because of his beliefs. He was also an anti-war activist.

Because of his beliefs, he spent three years in jail. While in prison, he helped start a work strike. This strike led to the prison's dining hall being desegregated. This meant Black and white prisoners could eat together.

He also volunteered for medical experiments, like many other conscientious objectors. He saw it as a way to help find cures for diseases and help humanity.

Pushing for Amnesty After WWII

After being released from prison in 1945, Peck immediately joined protests. He wanted the government to grant amnesty to all WWII conscientious objectors (COs). Amnesty means officially forgiving someone for a crime.

Peck helped organize protests and write news releases. He protested at the White House on October 15, 1945. He also picketed outside his old prison, Danbury, in 1946.

On December 22, 1946, Peck and 14 other activists protested outside the White House. They wore black-and-white prison outfits. This got a lot of attention from the news.

In 1947, Peck joined a "mock funeral" protest in front of the White House. They carried a coffin marked "justice." He also protested the "Freedom Train" in New York City. He and 18 others were arrested for wearing prison outfits and refusing to move. They later won their court case.

President Truman granted amnesty to some COs in December 1947. But it was only for religious reasons, and Peck's record was not cleared. Peck wrote to The New York Times that other countries had granted full amnesty. He felt the U.S. was not living up to its claims of democracy.

Protesting the Military Draft in the 1940s

Peck also led protests against the military draft in the 1940s. On March 25, 1946, he was arrested for handing out papers that told people not to join the military.

In 1947, President Truman suggested a peacetime draft. Peck organized a nationwide protest against it. On February 12, 1947, over 500 people burned their draft cards in more than 30 states. Peck led the protest at the White House, where 15 people burned their cards without being arrested.

Peck worked with A. Philip Randolph, a Black union leader. They protested the Universal Military Training Act (UMT), which kept the military segregated. Their protests helped lead to President Truman's Executive Order 9981. This order ended segregation in the military.

On June 22, 1948, Peck did a famous protest at the White House. He chained himself to a railing during a public tour. He took off his jacket to show a shirt that said: "Veto the Draft." News stations reported on this widely. He was released without charges.

Peck was arrested with Bayard Rustin on September 3, 1948, at an anti-draft protest in New York City. They both spent 15 days in jail.

Fighting Nuclear Weapons

In 1946, Peck was arrested in New York City for protesting nuclear tests. He and 35 others pulled a stuffed goat through the city. This represented goats left on the Marshall Islands during a nuclear bomb test.

He also protested at the New York City Easter Parade several times in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He handed out anti-nuclear papers. He was arrested multiple times for refusing to leave.

In the 1950s, Peck was arrested for refusing to take cover during air raid drills in New York City. These drills were meant to prepare for nuclear attacks. He was arrested with other famous activists like Dorothy Day and Bayard Rustin. These protests eventually led to the drills ending in the early 1960s.

In 1957, Peck helped start a new anti-nuclear group. He was arrested at their first event for protesting at a nuclear test site in Nevada.

In 1958, Peck joined the "Golden Rule" campaign. This was a boat that sailed into nuclear testing sites in the Pacific Ocean to protest. Peck joined the crew and was arrested with them near Honolulu. They all spent 60 days in jail. This made Peck a well-known anti-nuclear activist.

He went to the Geneva Conference to push for a treaty to ban nuclear tests. He continued to protest nuclear weapons throughout the 1960s. He believed all nations should stop using them. He chanted: "No Tests – East or West."

When the U.S. and Soviet Union signed the Test-Ban Treaty in 1963, Peck said it was thanks to nonviolent protests.

Civil Rights Work: 1940s-1950s

After WWII, Peck became a "radical journalist." He joined the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in 1946. CORE was a key civil rights group in the North. He worked as their publicity officer and edited their newspaper, the "CORE-lator."

Peck was arrested with Bayard Rustin in Durham, North Carolina, in April 1947. This was during the Journey of Reconciliation. This was an early integrated bus trip through the South. It was a test for the later Freedom Rides. In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Peck was attacked by a white mob. He was punched but remained nonviolent and walked away safely.

In the summer of 1947, Peck was beaten and arrested twice. This was during a CORE campaign to integrate Palisades Park in New Jersey. These protests helped pass the New Jersey 1949 Freeman Bill, which ended segregation there.

Throughout the 1950s, Peck supported Martin Luther King Jr.'s Montgomery Campaign. He argued that direct action was as important as legal action for civil rights. When the southern sit-in movement started in 1960, Peck and other CORE members picketed Woolworth stores in New York City every week for 15 months.

Peck also led the "Proxies Campaign." He protested segregated businesses by attending their stockholder meetings. He would buy one share of stock or represent others. From 1948 to 1955, he attended Greyhound Company meetings. He argued that they should integrate their buses in the South. He also convinced Grant's stores to desegregate in Baltimore.

The Freedom Ride and Civil Rights: 1960s-1970s

In 1961, Peck and 15 other volunteers went South on the famous Freedom Rides. These rides challenged segregation on buses and in bus terminals.

On May 10, Peck was arrested in Winnsboro, South Carolina. He had sat at an integrated lunch counter.

On May 14, Peck was on a Trailways bus heading to Birmingham, Alabama. Another bus, a Greyhound, had been firebombed in Anniston, Alabama, seriously hurting passengers.

When Peck's Trailways bus arrived in Anniston, eight Klansmen boarded. They attacked the Freedom Riders. Peck, who was middle-aged, was badly hurt. He needed 50 stitches.

In Birmingham, Peck and Charles Person (a Black student) were the first to get off the bus. A crowd of Klansmen was waiting for them. A reporter described the attack: "Toughs grabbed the passengers into alleys and corridors, pounding them with pipes, with key rings, and with fists. One passenger was knocked down at my feet by twelve of the hoodlums, and his face was beaten and kicked until it was a bloody pulp." That was Jim Peck's face.

Peck was severely beaten and needed 53 stitches to his head. He was taken to a segregated hospital that refused to treat him. He was later treated at another hospital.

The Freedom Ride was Peck's most famous action. It made him known as a white civil rights hero. He traveled the country giving speeches for CORE. He also famously confronted former President Truman, who had criticized the Freedom Riders. This made Truman seem out of touch with racial justice.

Peck suggested the Route 40 Freedom Ride project. This led to half the restaurants along Route 40 in Baltimore desegregating. He was arrested again for trying to integrate a restaurant. In 1962, after publishing his book "Freedom Ride," Peck helped lead the Project Baltimore campaign. This led to more restaurants desegregating.

Peck became good friends with William Lewis Moore, a white civil rights worker who was killed during a solo Freedom March in 1963. Peck gave the speech at Moore's funeral.

On August 28, 1963, Peck proudly represented CORE at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Over 250,000 people attended this historic event. In March 1965, Peck represented CORE at the historic march from Selma to Montgomery. He even spoke that day, honoring William Moore.

After the Selma march, Peck was removed from CORE. This was because he was white, and CORE decided to focus on Black leadership. Peck called this "reverse-racism" and never supported the idea of Black Power. Even after leaving CORE, Peck personally helped fund Martin Luther King Jr.'s campaigns. He wrote to King: "I wanted to assure you that, despite the dirty deal I have received from CORE, I am still with The Movement and shall be as long as I live."

When King was assassinated in April 1968, Peck honored him. He marched in Memphis to support the Memphis sanitation strike that King had backed. He also attended King's funeral in Atlanta.

Peck continued his civil rights work into the 1970s. He joined protests for school bus integration in Boston. He also protested the Bakke case, which was about "reverse discrimination."

Protesting the Vietnam War

Peck also strongly protested the Vietnam War. Starting in October 1964, he took part in a weekly vigil against the war in Times Square. He did this almost every week for over eight years.

Between 1965 and 1975, Peck attended every major anti-war rally in Washington, D.C. He was arrested 12 times for protesting the war. On February 19, 1965, he was arrested for a sit-down protest at the U.S. Mission to the UN.

On August 9, 1965, Peck was one of 356 people arrested outside the Capitol Building. This was for a massive sit-in against the war. It was the largest number of arrests at the White House up to that time.

In 1966, he advised young people to avoid the draft. On February 23, 1966, Peck protested President Johnson at a dinner. He stood on his chair and yelled: "Mr. President, Peace In Vietnam!" He was dragged out and served 60 days in jail.

In April 1967, Peck marched with hundreds of thousands of people in New York City. Martin Luther King Jr. led this anti-war rally. In October 1967, Peck spoke at a "Stop the Draft Week" event. He supported young people burning their draft cards.

On October 21, Peck was one of 683 people arrested for civil disobedience at the famous March on the Pentagon. In jail, he spoke with famous writer Norman Mailer. Mailer later wrote about Peck in his award-winning book, The Armies of the Night.

Peck was arrested again in December 1967 with Dr. Benjamin Spock and poet Allen Ginsberg. In 1968, he was at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. He was hurt during violent clashes between police and protesters.

On May 3, 1971, Peck was arrested in Washington, D.C. This was during the May Day demonstrations. Over 7,200 people were arrested that day. It was the largest mass arrest in history at the time.

In August 1972, Peck was injured by a tear gas canister during an anti-war rally in Miami. He had to go to the hospital.

Peck continued to protest until the war ended. On March 1, 1975, he was arrested at the White House for protesting President Ford's amnesty plan for war resisters. This was the largest arrest on White House grounds then. He attended the last major anti-war rally in New York City on May 11, 1975. Over 50,000 people filled Central Park.

Renewed Anti-Nuclear Efforts: 1970s-1980s

After the Vietnam War protests, the anti-nuclear movement grew again. Peck was a big part of it. He protested French nuclear tests and joined Japanese delegates in protesting nuclear weapons.

In 1976, he was very involved in the Continental Walk for Disarmament and Social Justice. This was a nine-month march across 34 states. Peck joined the Southern part of the march. He was arrested four times during this walk.

In 1977, Peck traveled to Japan with American poet Millen Brand. They joined the march from Nagasaki to Hiroshima, speaking at events. When he returned, Peck toured the U.S. to share his experiences.

He became involved with the Rocky Flats National Action Committee (RFNAC). This group opposed a major nuclear bomb plant in Colorado. Peck was one of 6,000 people protesting at Rocky Flats in April 1978. He joined a 14-hour sit-down on the railroad tracks leading to the plant. He was arrested again at Rocky Flats in August 1978 and April 1979.

In 1978, Peck joined major protests at the United Nations in New York City. On June 12, he was arrested with 380 others for civil disobedience. This was one of the largest mass arrests in New York City history.

In 1979, the near-meltdown at Three Mile Island nuclear plant made the anti-nuclear movement much bigger. Peck was amazed when a thousand bystanders joined an anti-nuclear protest in New York City. He marched with over a thousand people to protest a nuclear reactor.

On June 3, 1979, Peck was one of 560 people arrested for occupying a nuclear plant site on Long Island. This was after a rally of 15,000 people. In September, Peck joined over 200,000 people in Manhattan for a huge anti-nuclear rally.

On October 29, 1979, Peck joined the "Wall Street Action." This protest targeted the financial companies that supported the nuclear industry. He was one of 1,045 people arrested for trying to block the stock market building entrances.

On April 28, 1980, Peck marched to the Pentagon. He and nearly 600 others were arrested for blocking the building entrances. This included Daniel Ellsberg and Dr. Benjamin Spock.

Peck also took part in the largest anti-nuclear rally ever held in New York City on June 12, 1982. One million people attended. This was the biggest demonstration in the country for any cause. Two days later, Peck was part of a massive civil disobedience campaign at the UN. Over 1,600 people were arrested for blocking the entrances of countries with nuclear weapons. This was likely Peck's last arrest. He was arrested nearly 60 times in his life.

Prisoner Rights Movement: 1970s

The Prison Movement grew after the Attica Prison riot in September 1971. This riot ended with many deaths. Protests were held at prisons across the country.

Peck attended the largest protest at Danbury, Connecticut, Prison, where he had been held during WWII. He rallied with 2,500 people. He also protested Governor Rockefeller, who was responsible for the decision to end the Attica riot.

In 1972, prisoners at Danbury went on strike for better conditions. Peck joined activists picketing outside the prison. He also wrote reviews of books and plays about prison life.

Peck became involved in the case of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer sentenced to prison. Peck read Carter's book and joined a march to Trenton Prison to support him.

Fighting the Death Penalty: 1970s

From 1972 to 1976, the U.S. had stopped using the death penalty. But in 1976, it became legal again. Peck joined protests against it.

On Christmas Eve, 1976, he joined a candlelight vigil in New Orleans. In April 1977, he marched with 3,000 activists in Atlanta, Georgia, to end the death penalty.

Peck protested North Carolina Governor James Hunt in New York City. The Governor refused to help the "Wilmington 10," a group of activists in a famous international case. Peck joined a march on the White House to free them.

On August 11, 1979, Peck was arrested in Georgia. He was trying to cross a bridge to reach a prison to support the "Reidsville Six." These people were accused of starting a prison riot.

On November 23, 1979, Peck was one of 24 people arrested at a protest against the death penalty at the Supreme Court. They performed "mock executions" in a handmade electric chair to show their protest.

Continuing Labor Activism: 1970s

Peck continued his work for workers' rights in the 1970s. He protested against employment discrimination. He supported radical unions that fought for workers.

He protested the United Steelworkers union for agreeing to a deal that banned strikes. He also protested multinational corporations on Earth Day 1975.

On June 4, 1975, Peck went to a huge Wall Street protest with 12,000 union workers. They were protesting budget cuts that threatened thousands of jobs.

Peck protested J.P. Stevens, a company known for low wages and being anti-union. He was arrested inside a J.P. Stevens store for protesting their products.

By the early 1970s, Peck greatly admired Cesar Chavez of the United Farm Workers (UFW). Peck joined weekly pickets for six years to support UFW's grape and lettuce boycotts. He met Cesar Chavez in 1970 during a march.

Peck also protested New York City's subway fare increases. He felt they unfairly hurt working-class people. He walked through subway gates without paying and encouraged others to do the same. He was arrested multiple times for this.

FBI Lawsuit and Later Life

In 1975, an FBI informant said that the Ku Klux Klan had been allowed to attack Freedom Riders in 1961 without police interference. Peck filed a lawsuit against the FBI in 1976. He sought money for the damages he suffered.

In 1983, he was awarded $25,000. By this time, he was paralyzed on one side after a stroke. He had been working for Amnesty International until his stroke.

By 1985, James Peck had moved into a nursing home in Minneapolis. He passed away on July 12, 1993, at the age of 78.

Selected works

• Peck, James, "The Ship That Never Hits Port", in Cantine, Holly R.; Rainer, Dachine, Prison etiquette: the convict's compendium of useful information, Bearsville, N.Y. : Retort Press, 1950. (reprinted 2001, Carbondale : Southern Illinois University Press). Cf. pp. 46–71.

See also

• List of peace activists
• Timeline of the civil rights movement