Most people understand that war is destructive, but few know that it is illegal. On August 27, 1928 many countries signed a treaty called the Kellogg-Briand Pact which outlawed war. After ratification by the U.S. Senate the following year this Pact became the supreme law of the land in the United States and sixty five other countries. How can we respect the law if most of us are ignorant of its existence? Members of the Peace Community have decided to: (1) educate the population on why this law was passed and (2) encourage insight and creative expression on how we can bring our country into compliance.
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Peace Essay Rules:
Although we are focusing on the student population, anyone can enter the Peace Essay Contest. In 800 words or less answer the question: How can we Obey the Law against War? Send your Peace Essay to:
Peace Desk
213 S. Wheaton Ave.
Wheaton, IL 60187
Please include: (1) Your Name, (2) Age, (3) Mailing Address, (4) Email Address or Phone Number, and (5) Year and school that you first learned about the Kellogg-Briand Pact. Peace Essays will be judged by members of the West Suburban Faith-based Peace Coalition (www.FaithPeace.org [2]) based on: (1) Knowledge of the Kellogg-Briand Pact, (2) Insight into how the Pact influences U.S. foreign policy, (3) Creativity in recommendations regarding compliance, and (4) Quality of the Peace Essay prose.
Age-appropriate prizes will be awarded for the top 25 Peace Essays received by November 1, 2012. Also, if the award winner identifies the school where she/he learned about the Pact, a book – “When the World Outlawed War” [1] by David Swanson - will be donated to the school library. The WSFPC will also send the best Peace Essays to key members of the U.S. Congress. For more information please contact Frank Goetz at frankgoetz@comcast.net [3].