The abolitionist John Woolman (1720-72) has been described as a
"Quaker saint," an isolated mystic, singular even among a singular
people. But as historian Geoffrey Plank recounts, this tailor, hog
producer, shopkeeper, schoolteacher, and prominent Quaker minister
was very much enmeshed in his local community in colonial New
Jersey and was alert as well to events throughout the British
Empire. Responding to the situation as he saw it, Woolman developed
a comprehensive critique of his fellow Quakers and of the imperial
economy, became one of the most emphatic opponents of slaveholding,
and helped develop a new form of protest by striving never to spend
money in ways that might encourage slavery or other forms of
iniquity.Drawing on the diaries of contemporaries, personal
correspondence, the minutes of Quaker meetings, business and
probate records, pamphlets, and other sources, "John Woolman's Path
to the Peaceable Kingdom" shows that Woolman and his neighbors were
far more engaged with the problems of inequality, trade, and
warfare than anyone would know just from reading the Quaker's own
writings. Although he is famous as an abolitionist, the end of
slavery was only part of Woolman's project. Refusing to believe
that the pursuit of self-interest could safely guide economic life,
Woolman aimed for a miraculous global transformation: a universal
disavowal of greed.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!