Catonsville Nine
Baltimore County, Baltimore County, Maryland
Marker Inscription
Catonsville Nine. On May 17, 1968, nine Catholic activists raided the Selective Service Office in Catonsville and burned several hundred draft files to protest the Vietnam War. In a highly-publicized trial, the “Nine,” who included priests Daniel and Philip Berrigan, were convicted and sentenced to prison. The Catonsville action played an important role in the antiwar movement, inspiring similar acts of civil disobedience across the country.
Erected by Maryland Historical Trust
The Story
By the spring of 1968 the Vietnam War had split American consciences, and on May 17 nine Catholic activists walked into the Selective Service office in Catonsville, carried out hundreds of draft records, and burned them in the parking lot. Among them were the brother-priests Daniel and Philip Berrigan, whose faith-rooted defiance turned their federal trial into a nationally watched drama about war, conscience, and the limits of the law. Convicted and imprisoned, the 'Nine' became folk heroes of the antiwar left and a template for symbolic direct action.
Why it matters
The Catonsville raid pushed religious and moral objection to the center of the antiwar movement and inspired a wave of similar acts of civil disobedience across the country.
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Related people
- · Daniel Berrigan
- · Philip Berrigan
Related events
- · Burning of Catonsville draft files, May 17, 1968
Themes & tags
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