Quakers: The Enlightenment’s Atlantic Connection

Abstract

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the Quakers campaigned vigorously for the abolition of slavery on both sides of the Atlantic. From the founding of the Society of Friends, members of this religious association were both highly mobile and at the forefront of expanding ‘moral knowledge.’ As such, this paper will argue that the Quakers were integral to the spread of Enlightenment ideals, sharing ideas about human rights and human nature throughout the British Empire.

To support the claim that the Quakers were a necessary part of the exchange of ideas between Britain and the United States, the paper will draw upon a wealth of primary sources. This will include pamphlets and reports from meetings of the Quaker Society in London during the relevant historical period, as well as the writings of prominent Quakers like John Ady and Joseph Woods. This examination of trans-Atlantic activism for the abolition of slavery is intended to inform future discussions on the spread of Enlightenment ideas, shedding light on the sometimes over-looked contribution of the Quakers.