The Perseviction Of The Quakers In England

Here is a brief summary of how the Quakers came into being. The Quaker beliefs are

In 1682, Pennsylvania, the twelfth British colony, was formed. This colony, like the eleven others already founded, was instituted with a comparable style of government and its own questionable religious prejudices. Throughout the colonies, levels of religious understanding fluctuated, apart from a few exemptions. For example, the Middle Colonies had a great deal of open-mindedness when it came to religion, whereas New England had a scarce amount, if any toleration for religious independence at all.

During the early colonization of the East coast of North America, many groups of people of Europe came to the New World such as the Puritans and Quakers. Both the Puritans, led by John Winthrop, and the Quakers, led by William Penn, were escaping persecution from England but each they had their own views and goals in religion, politics, and ethnic relations. Being on the native land of the local Indians, both Penn and Winthrop had to face issues and negotiations with the Indians. Penn and Winthrop had their own separate approaches to politics but they both sought a more just system than the one in England. After being persecuted, both Penn and Winthrop wanted their people to be free worship, but Penn and Winthrop each had their own

Quakers- those who condemned extravagance, sought to restore Christianity to its early simple spirituality; William Penn made Pennsylvania a refuge for his fellow Quakers who refused to pay taxes or serve in the military for the Church of England.

The Puritans and the Quakers are two religious groups that played an important role in the colonization of America. Both of these groups disliked the church of England and sought to gain freedom of worship and lifestyle. Therefore, the Puritans and the Quakers are similar to each other because they both faced persecution and left England to go to America with the goal and hope of living the life they wanted, gain more opportunity, and to practice their desired religion freely.

This paper will explore the history of the colonial settlements of the Quakers, who are also known as the Society of Friends, who settled in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in colonial times. The history surrounding the establishment and growth of the Quaker colonies of West Jersey and Pennsylvania will be discussed. William Penn’s efforts in establishing the colonies of West Jersey and Pennsylvania were paramount to Quakers immigrating to America. John Fenwick also played a major role in founding the colony of West Jersey, which is now known as New Jersey and the later immigration of Quakers to Pennsylvania. The abolitionist efforts of the Quakers in their fight against slavery, their equal treatment of slaves and the assistance that they provided to slaves will also be discussed. Quakers provided shelter, financial support and harbored many slaves so that they could avoid capture by their owners. Quakers were a large part of the abolitionist movement in the colonies while slavery was legal. Many Quakers played a role in the Underground Railroad, which assisted slaves in obtaining their freedom and avoiding capture. The terms “Quaker” and Society of Friends are interchangeable and will be used throughout this paper accordingly.

The Quakers were different from many of the settlers of other early American colonies. The Quakers, also known as the Society of Friends, were built upon ideals of pacifism and benevolence. They did not come here as traders or merchants. The Quakers came here for religious freedom, as did many others. However, Quakers, who had experienced persecution in other colonies like

One’s vision of society, religious order, and freedom ultimately plays a significant role in their faith. Puritans from Massachusetts attained numerous visions regarding society, religious order, and freedom. Although these visions are somewhat similar to William Penn’s holy experiment, they contrast in an array of ways. The Puritans were a group of english reformed protestants in the 16th and 17th century. They wanted to purify the church of england from its catholic practices. William Penn was a devout Quaker who inspired many. Penn called for a holy experiment, in efforts to seek religious freedom in his colony. Furthermore, I will describe the similarities and differences between the two unique perspectives, as well as explain why William Penn’s holy experiment is a much more appealing vision to myself.

After establishing the last English colony during the seventeenth century, William Penn sought ways to create a safe haven for those who suffer from religious persecution in Europe. Additionally, William Penn also pictured a place of equality in which colonists and Indians can live in harmony while enjoying their religious freedom. William Penn might have considered his colony in Pennsylvania as his “holy experiment” because he wanted to try something different and test out new things within his colony such as establishing a place where there is religious freedom and equality. Furthermore, William Penn was an active member of the Society of Friends, Quakers, and his participation with the group helped him develop the concept of his “holy experiment” along with helping those who faced religious persecution.

The Quakers believed in the Bible as their truth. They believed in direct comunication with God himself. This is exprssed by George Fox in the statement, "Christ is come to teach his people himself.” They constantly preached their truth. This causes tension in Pennsylvania, where they resided, because the others in the community got tired of the Quaker’s preaching.

Despite the fact that both Puritans and Quakers are Protestant Christians, the Quakers were unwelcome in the Puritan society of New England. A University of California at Los Angeles Ph. D. candidate in the Department of History, Carla Gardina Pestana provides an explanation as to why these Christians were frowned upon in the society. In her article “The City upon a Hill under Siege: The Puritan Perception of the Quaker Threat to Massachusetts Bay, 1656-1661”, Pestana gives a detailed analysis of why the Quakers beliefs were seen as a threat to the Puritan society.

The founder of Pennsylvania was William Penn. William Penn was a religious Quaker. William was born in England. William penn had thirteen kids and two wives. William Penn led the Quakers. William Penn was born in 1644. A Quaker is is a christian religion.William Penn went to a christian college. In the 1970’s William Penn had became important to the Quakers.

Quakers were not always the greatest people. Quakers would sometimes interrupt worship services, were not always truthful, and sometimes even yelled and banged pots in the streets. They did this to make points about their religion. Sometimes, they yelled at and humiliated the people who did not agree with them. Quakers were known for calling many people names, and stripping off their clothes in public. Puritans took action and punished the Quakers by public whippings, tongue borings, banishment, and execution. There were Quakers who did not do these things, and also got prosecuted for almost nothing. (amybeldingbrown.wordpress.com)

In England, the Quakers beliefs were thought of as dangerous and devilish. Their beliefs were to different from England’s version of orthodox Christianity so England started persecuting the group. After 10,000 Quakers had been thrown in to jail and 243 had died from the torture in the jails, they came to America to find refuge. From 1681 to 1685 over 8,000 Quakers had come to the New World and settled in Pennsylvania.

The intention of the Quakers was to rehabilitate the offender and bring him/her to repentance understanding that all answers came through God. As the laws changed abolishing the use of capital punishment for any crime other than first-degree murder, Quaker ideology recognized that the opportunity to rehabilitate individuals incarcerated or their crimes would make them better citizens and not merely institutionalized individuals when they were released. “It was believed that penitence; pastoral counseling and reasonable discipline would correct antisocial behavior” (Bartollas, 2013). The goal of the institution was solitude as this would provide the individuals time for reflection