William Penn is justly famous for his part in the political development of colonial America. Yet he was also one of the leading Quaker theologians of the seventeenth century and the most important translator of Quaker religious thought into social and political reality, and his life and works cannot be fully understood without a knowledge of his religious hopes and ideals. Melvin Endy goes beyond the political histories, biographies, and histories of Quakerism to provide a comprehensive account of Penn's religious thought, its influence on his political thought and activity, and the significance of his life and thought to the Quaker movement. His assessment of Penn's place in the Quaker movement and his discussion of Penn's thought in relation to Puritan, Spiritualist. Anglican, and pre-Enlightenment developments has led to an understanding of Quakerism that differs from the recent tendency to stress strongly its Puritan origins and affinities. Because of the revisionist nature of this interpretation and the author's conviction that early Quaker thought has never been adequately related to its intellectual milieu, this study of Penn has been developed into a vehicle for a new analysis of aspects of early Quaker thought. Finally, the Pennsylvania venture is examined and assessed as a laboratory in which the vision of a society run according to the principles of a spiritual religion was put to the test. Originally published in 1973. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Elizabeth Fry was one of the nineteenth century's most extraordinary women. Born the daughter of a Quaker banker, she was eighteen when she commandeered a laundry room to begin her own school. At twenty, she wed Joseph Fry and, over their marriage, they had eleven children. But a charitable visit to Newgate Prison would change the course of her life, and of history, forever. Unable to ignore the plight of the female convicts before her, she determined to do everything in her power to right the injustices they faced... By her death, Elizabeth was famous amongst royalty, parliament and women on the street alike; respected by Queen Victoria; supporter to William Wilberforce; and influence on Florence Nightingale. This biography, told with verve and pace, and interwoven with extracts from Elizabeth's private diaries, will inspire and move you with the turn of a page.

An inspiring and enlightening introduction to Quakerism, the second title in the Yale University Press "The Spirit of . . ."series Who are the Quakers, what do they believe, and what do they practice? The Religious Society of Friends-also known as Quakers--believes that everyone can have a direct experience of God. Quakers express this in a unique form of worship that inspires them to work for change in themselves and in the world. In The Spirit of the Quakers, Geoffrey Durham, himself a Friend, explains Quakerism through quotations from writings that cover 350 years, from the beginnings of the movement to the present day. Peace and equality are major themes in the book, but readers will also find thought-provoking passages on the importance of action for social change, the primacy of truth, the value of simplicity, the need for a sense of community, and much more. The quoted texts convey a powerful religious impulse, courage in the face of persecution, the warmth of human relationships, and dedicated perseverance in promoting just causes. The extended quotations have been carefully selected from well-known Quakers such as George Fox, William Penn, John Greenleaf Whittier, Elizabeth Fry and John Woolman, as well as many contemporary Friends. Together with Geoffrey Durham's enlightening and sympathetic introductions to the texts, the extracts from these writers form an engaging, often moving guide to this accessible and open-hearted religious faith.

is book explores the growth of abolitionism among Quakers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey from 1688 to 1780, providing a case study of how groups change their moral attitudes. Dr. Soderlund details the long battle fought by reformers like gentle John Woolman and eccentric Benjamin Lay. The eighteenth-century Quaker humanitarians succeeded only after they diluted their goals to attract wider support, establishing a gradualistic, paternalistic, and segregationist model for the later antislavery movement.

Originally published in 1988.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Naomi "Omie" Wise was drowned by her lover in the waters of North Carolina's Deep River in 1807, and her murder has been remembered in ballad and story for well over two centuries. Mistakes, romanticization and misremembering have been injected into Naomi's biography over time, blurring the line between reality and fiction. The authors of this book, whose family has lived in the Deep River area since the 18th century, are descendants of many of the people who knew Naomi Wise or were involved in her murder investigation. This is the story of a young woman betrayed and how her death gave way to the folk traditions by which she is remembered today. The book sheds light on the plight of impoverished women in early America and details the fascinating inner workings of the Piedmont North Carolina Quaker community that cared for Naomi in her final years and kept her memory alive.

This study explores the absorption of Western religious ideas into African religious traditions, the emergence of independent African churches and religious movements, and their connection with political protest. The Friends African Mission, an offshoot of the evangelical revival in Britain and America in the late 19th century, took root among the Luyia people of Western Kenya. Quaker doctrines found a particular resonance with indigenous religion and spirituality but also divided African Quakers. The author considers the work carried out in education, agriculture, industrial training and health care by the Society of Friends, and charts the development of an independent church (finally established in 1963). She traces the developing relationship between African Quakers and the emerging African nationalist movements, and the colonial administration.