The Quakers in the Revolution

345 Pages·1900·16.494 MB·English

by  Isaac Sharpless

A HISTORY OF QUAKER GOVERNMENT IN PENNSYLVANIA
Volume II:
The Quakers in the Revolution.
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The Quakers in the Revolution ^
By Isaac Sharpless, LL. D.
President ofHaverford College
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T. S. LEACH & CO., Publishers
No. 29 North Seventh Street
COPYRIOHT, 1900, BYT. 8. Lkach ACo.
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PKEFACE.
The purpose of this monograph is neither to
defend nor to condemn the position taken by the
Friends of Pennsylvania during the Kevolution-
ary War; but as accurately as possible, in the
light of contemporary writings found in the
records of meetings, private letters and public
documents, to state that position fairly.
It is not to be greatly wondered at that they
have been misunderstood. They were friends of
liberty, but opposed to war ; desirous of main-
taining their civil rights,but by other means than
illegality and revolution, and unwilling to afford
aid to the British ; divided in their sympathies,
but largely united in the stand that they could
take no part in the strife of the day. Their
attitude has thus been variously stated as one
side or the other has been exclusively seen.
The question was at the time an Important
one. Up to this date they had been the most
potent single political influence in the province,
whose unequaled prosperity was largely due to
the institutions and principles of their first great
leader, William Penn, and their own administra-
tion of affairs. It was felt by friend and foe
alike that the attempt to draw unwilling Penn-
sylvania into the revolutionary movement would
largelydependonthedirectionandextent of their
influence. Unquestionably they, like most con-
servative andorder-loving Philadelphians, opposed
it in its early stages.
Whether this opposition would have been suc-
cessful had Pennsylvania been left to itself is an
open question, but when war and revolution
became inevitableand their charterwas cast aside,
they issued a declaration of neutrality. They
were neither Tories nor revolutionists. They did
not seek protection within British lines nor join
the American forces.
ISAAO ShABPLESS.
Haverford College^
1899.
CONTENTS OF VOLUME
II.
....
PrefacetotheSecondVolume, v
ListofIllustrations, viii
CHAPTER
I.—Introductory, . ... 1
II.—TheFriendlyAssociation, 21
III.—ThePaxtonRiot, 42
IV.—TheContestwiththe Proprietors, 64
....
v.—PreparingfortheRevolution, 75
VI.—TheEarlyYearsoftheRevolution, . 120
VII.—TheVirginiaExiles, 145
VIII.—QuakerSuffering 172
IX.—TheFreeQuakers, .... 207
X.—FriendsandSlavery, 224
XI.—Friends who have been Prominent in
Public Life since theRevolution, 252
.
Index, 294
I
ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOLUME
II.
HARtLAYHall, Haverfobd Collkgk,
Vignette n>'IfTitle.
}Iair-toDe,fW>maphotograph.
'*A South-East Prospect of the City of Phila-
delphia," 1718 Fronlitpiece.
Half-tone, from a drawing hj P.F.Goist, after the
originalpaintinghjPeterCooper, inthe Philadelphia
Library.
OldMknnoniteMeeting-Hocse,Gkrmantown, . ;;
Half-tone,fromaphotograph. ....
The OriginalChristChurch, 4
Half-tone,fromanoldprint.
ThomasPbnm, 10
Half-tone,after the original painting in]>o8setttsiunof
theHistoricalSocietyofPennsylvania.
John Penn,Governor, -'o
Half-tone,afteranet-cbiugi>y.VHx-rt Kuseiifhal.
MbbionMbbtimg-House, 24
Half-tone,afteran<Mdrawing.
'*TheSolitude," 73
Half-tone,fromaphotogr.aph.....
Dr. John Fotheiksill, 86
Half-tone,fromanohl i>riiit.
JoHKDickinson s»5
Half-tone, from a photograrure after the original
painting. •
OPP.
PAGE
ChaklesThomson, 105
Half-tone,fromanoldengraving.
BankMeeting-House,
CentreSquareMeeting-House, ))[ . . . 114
Line-engravings; theBank Meeting-House fromWat-
son'sAnnals, the CentreSquare Meeting-House from
anolddrawing.
BirminghamMeeting-House, 146
Half-tone,fromaphotograph.
"A N.W. View of the State House in Philadel-
phia,TAKEN1778," 172
Half-tone,afteracopperplate in the ColumbianMaga-
zine. ......
ValleyMeeting-House, 181
Half-tone,afteranolddrawing.
JohnRoberts' Mill, 193
Half-tone,fromaphotograph,
NicholasWaln, 217
Half-tone,afteranoldengraving.....
FreeQuakers' Meeting-House, 218
Half-tone,fromaphotograph.
GeorgeWashington'sHouse 220
Line-engraving,fromWatson'sAnnals.
"AView of the New Market from the Corner
OP Shippen and Second Streets, Philadel-
phia,1787." . . 235
Half-tone,afteracopperplatein theColumbianMaga-
zine.
"Wehaveajustsenseof theralueofourreligious
andcivillibertien,and haveeverbeen and aredesirous
of preserving them bv all such measures as are not
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