When conscripted during the First World War, members of the historic peace churches (Quakers, Mennonites, and Brethren) were typically provided with a stark choice: serve the military in a non-combatant role, which many refused, or serve in prison. The resulting experiences of conscientious objectors during the war, both the brutality inflicted upon them by their guards and their ardent non-compliance was viewed by both government and church as problematic. With the approach of the Second World War, leaders of the peace churches therefore banded together to work with the federal government to create a more satisfactory system for dealing with individuals who refused participation in the military for religious, moral, or ethical reasons.

As a result of peace church lobbying, the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 included a provision for conscientious objectors (COs) from any tradition to "be assigned to work of national importance under civilian direction." Beginning in May 1941, COs were interned in barracks in a series of Civilian Public Service camps around the country, all funded by the churches, and assigned arduous work that ranged from forestry to firefighting, soil conservation and agriculture, and psychiatric care. Many internees refused even this accommodation with the military and several camps were subject to work stoppages or strikes during the later years of the war. The most non-compliant internees were remanded to federal prison. The camps remained in operation until March 1947, a year and a half after the end of the conflict.