a. Belief in equality
b. Informality
c. Toleration
d. Martydom
2. Why did the Puritans treat the Quakers so poorly (use as part of your explanation the experiences of Mary Dyer)?
3. What was a characteristic of Quaker worship?
4. According to Boorstin, why didn't Quakerism become the dominant religion in America?
5. What problems arose of the Quakers in the "taking of oaths?"
6. What internal dilemmas did the Quakers face in their attempts to govern the colony?
7. What happened to Quaker rule in 1756?
8. List examples of Quaker legacies that can be witnessed by the 18th century.
9. What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he referred to Quakers as "Protestant Jesuits"?
10. What is meant by the Quaker description of themselves as, "dissenters in their own country"?
11. See page 69 for an interesting quote.
12. Although Quakers were pacifists, how did Quakers deal with the constant warfare that surrounded them, and what role did Benjamin Franklin play?
78 comments:
1. The Quakers upheld each of these things to a fundamental extent. In fact, it was to a crippling extent, as they impeded practicality when the Quaker society established itself in Pennsylvania and confronted conflict.
a. The Quakers believed in the absolute equality of men, even Negro men, which was unheard of in Colonial times.
b. The Quakers shunned formality of dress and language. Although there is no evidence that suggests what their rationale may have been, my speculation is that they saw these formalities as ornate, trivial, and a hindrance on the path to righteousness, not a vehicle.
c. The Quakers saw people as naturally good, contrary to most other Christian denominations that saw people as bad and requiring a lifetime of good acts to redeem one's original sin. This belief in the good in people is what caused their tolerance. They allowed anyone of any sect so long as they believed in the Lord. They were also tolerant of the Indians, contrary to other denominations, whose relations with the Indians were marred by racism.
d. The Quakers had an incredible obsession with being punished for the sake of their Lord. Many even trudged to New England from Pennsylvania just to profess their Quaker beliefs and incite Puritan punishment for their acts.
2. The Puritans, initially, lacked proper knowledge of the reason for the tenacious and repetitive stream of Quakers, so they responded as they would to any other persistent group of non-Puritans: they punished them harshly. As more Quakers came, the Puritans became more frustrated and increased the penalty, not realizing this only made Massachusetts Bay a more enticing place for Quakers seeking martyrdom. Mary Dyer was an example of one of the most persistent of these Quakers. She returned to Boston multiple times, only to be banished without being martyred. Only after she had frustrated the Puritans did they finally give her the hanging she wanted.
3. Quaker worship was mostly characterized by its informality, especially compared to strict denominations like the Puritans. A common Quaker worship practice was silent worship, in which one didn't even need to voice their words of worship to the Lord.
4. To make a metaphor, Quakerism failed to dominate America not because of the book, but because of the reader. On paper it's the perfect religion. It allows informality, equality, and tolerance. However, in the hands of its leaders, Quakerism crumbled into a fundamentalist, isolated society. This was brought about by a slow drift. The leaders of Quakerism wanted to preserve tradition and slowly reeled in the tolerance William Penn had hoped would remain a staple of Quakerism. An example of this traditional fundamentalism is the "taking of oaths" issue, which became a huge waste of time for both England and the Quakers.
5. The Quakers' interpretation of the Bible was that one should never swear on the Lord, and thus they were against oath-taking. This caused great discourse with England, as its legal system required all who give testimony, as well as people who fill appointed seats, to take an oath. The oath quarrel occurred in the early 18th century. crimes that had occurred in the Pennsylvania area during that time often had to be postponed because the witnesses were Quakers and couldn't testify because they would not take an oath.
6. The Quaker practice of pacifism conflicted greatly with their necessity for defense. They quickly found that not only could they not defend themselves without violence, they could not punish offenders of the law without violence, and so pacifism had a crippling effect on the Pennsylvania government and they were forced always to seat a non-Quaker as an attempt to avoid this dilemma.
7. In 1756, a branch broke away from the Quaker government, in hopes of pacifying the growing Indian conflict. However, this group had the same exact policies of peacefulness that the government they split from had that they were ineffective and served only to "meddle" in the affairs of the Quaker-Indian relations. Additionally the representative count shifted from a Quaker majority to a non-Quaker majority. Many Quaker representatives withdrew from office
8. The surviving Quaker pacifism led Quakers to take a neutral stance during the American Revolution, with the opinion that supporting either side would be meddling with God's will. They also instated yearly meetings to ensure the purity of their sect and their title as "peculiar people." Some Quakers, however, escaped the extreme fundamentalism that overtook Quakerism after the 1756 withdrawal and became merchants.
9. Jefferson's frank evaluation of the Quakers is based on the fact that they held more dear the fundamentals of their religion than they did their loyalty to others or to their country. They would sooner let others suffer than break their own archaic Christian dogma.
10. They gave themselves this title in the late 18th century after a flood of other religions entered the colony of Pennsylvania, leaving the Quakers as a small minority. Now no longer in control of Pennsylvania, the Quakers could not stop Pennsylvania from using violence to defend itself, even if they had originally founded Pennsylvania.
11. The quote on page 68 (I'm assuming this is the one, since there's not one on 69) is obviously showing that the Quakers shun anything they see as not useful to the exact moment, such as science. Anything such as that "is up to the Lord" and their inflexibility kept them from ever doing anything practical.
12. The Quakers primarily maintained their pacifism by relying on others. They would elect non-Quaker governors to make decisions, and in addition they'd rely on the British army to fight, while they remained passive, not violating their pacifity. Franklin was the one who originally suggested this strategy of stepping aside and allowing others to fight.
1:
A- Quakers believed in the total equality between all types of people, either sex nor ethnicity should hinder the ability to govern vote or their natural rights as humans.
B- The Quakers did not support any formality of dress or language and they vigorusly opposed the idea. They believed that no matter of dress or language would create a handicap for learning of any type.
C-Quakers did not believe in any difference in all people. Since they believed that all people were created equally good they welcomed everyone if they believed in any type of one almighty god. They even invited indian people into their society because they could create similarities between their religion and the Quakers', which is a far cry from the Puritans who believe that the Indians were evil and contained no equality from people who differed from their society in the least bit.
D- The Quakers created outbursts of riots under the puritans which ended when the Puritans hung Quakers for their beliefs in full equality. These actions were viewed as being strong and withstanding the threats from the Purtians for the sake of what you believed in, and for some Quakers who publically voiced their unhappyness ended in the death for the sake of god.
2: The Puritans treated the Quakers so poorly because they did not comprise with the ways of the Puritans and therefore in their eyes disobeying god and were considered as being evil. The Quakers and their belief in equality made them no different. They were viewed as being a neusance with their protests within Puritan society, and with the persistance of the Quakers they grew a harsh and seviere punishments. For example the case of Mary Dyer whom was the perfect case of how strong their beliefs were and how persistant they would be to get what they wanted in society. She was put to death but yet she explained what a joyous day it was on the day of her hanging, and this seemed to give her what she wanted and the Puritans then withdrew her hanging death sentance. Though she was sent to rohde island she persisted in coming back to boston and eventually she was givin what she wanted in being hung.
3: Characteristics of Quaker worship is mostly comprised in their belief in equality for all peoples, and the extent they will go to in the name of their worship which was proved in the many martyrs in the name of the Quakers.
4: In the eyes of Boorstin the Quaker religion did not become the dominant religion in America because even though the Quakers welcomed all peoples and seemed to be the greatest open religion the Quakers did not have a set governing policey and therefore could not create a government that would satisfy the needs of ALL peoples being welcomed into Quaker society.
5: Some problems that arose with the Quakers taking oaths was that though they were willing to head to the gallows for their death the people becamse more interested in asserting themselves to extremes they were not able to spread their beliefs, this caused great problems because they were no longer active in the bigger picture but only showing severe acts in the name of their faith.
6: When the Quakers tried to govern their own colony they came to problems internally which consisted of the power distribution. They welcomed all peoples into their society but that caused problems because they could not put every belief and every type of person into power because otherwise that would never come to any laws or conclusions that would satisfy everyone in power.
7: In 1756 a part of the Quakers spit because of the dealings with the Indians who were on the verge of war with the english and french. The people who slit did not wish to interfear with the dealings with the Indians.
8: Most of the the Quaker legacies can be viewed in the 18th century as being extreme acts of the Quaker faith. But mostly as being totally beliefing in the total equality of man, like in the voting between men, women, and negros.
AND! in 1756 John Fothergill and 2 emissaries wanted the Quakers to withdraw from the government so that they could save their original pacifist ideas in the interest of the Quakers themselves.
9: Jeffersons over generalization on the Quakers is largly based off of the idea that Quakers did not hold nay sence of nationalism and were only interested in Quaker beliefs and Quaker dealings.
10: They were considered "dissenters in their own country" because their beliefs at the time were so radically different from those of the Puritans. They weren't active in the nation issues and thus viewed as being in their own little world.
11: ... page 69 doesnt have an interesting quote...
therefore i will talk about the quote on 68. The quote shows how the Quakers are not concerned with anything that does not have an obvious direct influence on them, and how the Quakers had a disabilty to keep things in mind for the future because they were just very much involved with what is happening in the present.
12: The Quakers dealed with the issues surrounding them by electing non-quakers to power so that no Quaker would have to make a decision that would go against their pacifist beliefs which coinsided with Ben Franklin who eluded to leting other people fight your battles for you so that you dont get either caught in the middle or in trouble.
1. a. The quakers believed that everyone was equal and deserved liberty.
b. The quakers were simple in their ways of life. They kept their language, and dress as simple as posible, and they dissaproved of celebrations and ceremonies.
c. The Quakers thought that no one was evil because of their small differences. They thought others were good as long as the others acknoledge god,and also be good citizens.
d. Martyrdom brought the Quakers eyes from their society to themselves, which was a flaw in their society. They focused on their own spiritual purity instead of strengthening and defending their society.
2. The puritans treated the quakers poorly, although they were also calvinists, because of their small differences. Mary Dyer, a quaker, was bannished from the colony in massachusets. she later returned and she was sentenced to death, for her returning and because of her so called evil belief of martyrdom.
3. Quaker worship was different than other calvinist groups. They thought of silence, and spontaneous public sermons as a form of worship. They may have also considered forbiding to take oath as a way of worship.
4. Boorstin thought Quakerism didnt become the dominant religion here because of its problems between itself and governing a society. It was impossible for people to live by Quakerism and under effective laws to keep actions limited. Even ifsomehow Quakerism emerged as the main religion, and also was majority of the government, the nation would quickly die because of the quakers refusal to warfare.
5. The quakers refused to take oaths, which caused some problems in the system. In pennsylvania, quakers made up much of the population. Because they would not take oaths, quakers were judged differently. Instead of swareing, quakers were made to affirmation. Because quakers didnt take oaths, the english said that everything the quakers said in the court was void.
6. The Quakers had difficulties governing the colony because of their resistance to warfare. The non quaker population of the colony were uneasy because of threat of war. The quakers would oppsoe to the war and risk the entire colony to their personal beliefs and purity. Another problem was that the Quakers accepted the Native Americans, but the non-quakers were strongly opposed to the indians.
7. In 1756, the quakers withdrew from the government. From their after, they were no longer the majority in the government, however a few quakers still represented.
8. The quakers greatest legacys are how they would punnish themselve for god, how they accepted everyone, and how they sustained a colony with out a military or a strong government.
9. Thomas Jefferson refered to the quakers as protestant jesuits because the quakers also came to a different country, without doing much for it, just for their religion and freedom.
10. Before the arrival of many other people of different religions, the quakers were a majority, once more people came to america the quakers became a minority.
12. The quakers survived through the warfare around them by seperating themselves from it as they looked toward spiritual purity. Ben Franklin tried to unite the two groups of people at the time by creating his own party, which took into consideration the ideas of both groups of people.
1.
a. The Quakers had an unrlenting belief in equality that was said to be more insistant than in all other Christian sects. They even prided themselves on equality to negroes and "Indians".
b. Quakers of Pennsylvania had a standard of informality, and looked to God instead of earthly satisfaction, apparent in the "simplicity" of their dress and the banishment of ceremonies.
c. Toleration was one of the most defining parts of Quaker life, because this characteristic set them apart and led them to accept anyone that had a belief in God, even Indians(which was unheard of in other branches like Puritanism). Not only were the Quakers tolerant, they were eager to allow others to enter into their religion.
d. A quote by William Drewsbury explains the Quakers' obsession with martyrdom as he says,"as joyfully entered prisons as palaces..." Not only did they choose to suffer, many Quakers sought out pain and hardship for the glory of the Lord. They took joy in being persecuted, and some would even seek out only places where they would be abused.
2. The Puritans treated the Quakers so poorly because they felt like they deserved the same seperate life as the Quakers. Both groups suffered through coming to America, and the Puritans believed that the Quakers, with their "need" to come to places of persecution, were merely getting in the way of their goal of Zion. Mary Dyer was a great example of the Puritans' argument against the Quakers. Because the death penalty was obviously not working on her or any Quaker that came to their land, something else had to be done. The more the Puritans fought against the Quakers, the more Quakers came, eager to earn their spot of torture. Mary Dyer kept coming back again and again until the Puritans were defeated in this case, and had to kill her to relieve themselves of the burden.
3. Courage was a main characteristic in Quaker worship, as supported by their ultumate goal of martyrdom. Also, they used "silent" forms of worship, therefore looking more at their on personal relationship with God.
4. Quakerism had many serious flaws that would prevent it from becoming a central religion, including a trend from universal, open religion to "building a wall around itself". Boorstin claims that part of the fall was because of the Society of Friends' shift away from their true religion, but also laims that most of the fall was because of their stringent following of their own religion. He states it well by saying, "They were enforcers rather than devotees of the gospel".
5. Quakers had alsways been against taking oaths, because they believed that God would provide the truth from every Quaker man, and taking an oath would just be a needless and worldly step along the way. Because of this conflict, the government was turned upside-down, with accusations being made everywhere. Soon, the government allowed Quakers to make an affirmation instrad, but many were still not satisfied.
6. Pacifism was the Quakers' main internal dilemma. As Charles Stuart states: "We are peaceable, and seek the peace, good and welfare of all..." This led to the mass of people being unsatisfied with the government, because it was impossible to be defensive if no one was willing to defend. It was dangerous for to the people to rest their faith in the Quakers, because the Quakers' faith was only in the Lord to take care of the arguments, and not to physically deal with them at all.
7. In 1756, Quakers were challenged with the attacks of Indians near the colony. The Quakers speperated at this time, with Benjamin Franklin leading a party that many more moderate Quakers followed, that would promote war on the Indians. There was another group of the more extreme Quakers that was against Franklin's, and they declined to pay tax that would be used in war. With the split and the decline of Quakers in the population, Quaker rule finally ended after the Assembly was rid of them.
8. There were many Quaker legacies apparent in the 18th century, including their inability to think outside of themselves in society, and their ultumate inward goals of freedom instead of for the outside community. Also, some of the Quakers turned out to become more interested in humanitarianism, and in that way justified that something good came from their rule.
9. In the words "Protestant Jesuits", Thomas Jefferson meant that, like Jews in a foreign land, the Quakers were not loyal to the land they lived on; only the land to which they tied their belief to.
10. In "dissenters of their country", the Quakers meant that, although they founded and were responsible for the area in which they lived, they saw themselves as no more than the minority in their country, physically (with the coming of different people) and also spiritually with the dwindling of the Quaker religion as well.
11. The interesting quote (pg. 68) comments that the Putitans observed and appreciated God in what he showed to them, while the Quakers were more interested in how specific evidence would bring them closer to God. In doing this it can be a general conclusion that the Quakers were more "works-based" than the Puritans, which may be evidence to why some problems occurred.
12. The Quakers dealt with the warfare around them by partially ignoring it, and focusing on things that seemed more important to them. They also kept courage and hope throughout. Benjamin Franklin acted a the moderate in all of the conflict. His ideas turned out to be the best suited, even though he did not press to make his voice heard.
1.a. One of the main characteristics of the Quakers was that they believed in equality, more than any other Christian sect at this time. As early as 1757, John Woolman was preaching against the practice of slavery because of his belief that all men were created equal. Quakers were ahead of the curve in considering this an important matter, seeing as it was not addressed in a widespread way in America until many decades later.
b. Another trait that distinguished the Quakers was their informality in speech and clothing and their refusal to use formal and complex ceremonies in their religion. They preferred to show their devotion to God by focusing on keeping their souls pure and striving to find the Truth.
c. Quakers gave religious freedom to and were tolerant of people from all sects; the only criteria the Quakers had was that the sect members should recognize God as the one and only true God and be in their definition peaceful and decent people (this criteria would have more than satisfied Thomas Lechford). They were also very tolerant of Indians, choosing to think of them as possible friends instead of enemies and bribing them with gifts of lead and gunpowder, which ended up backfiring with the start of the Indian massacres of western Pennsylvania in 1756.
d. Martyrdom to the Quakers was somewhat of an obsession. They seemed to actively seek out trials, obstacles, and situations in which they might be punished for believing the words of George Fox. To die a martyr in the face of religious opposition was sought out more than living without persecution was.
2. It is true the Puritans treated Quakers poorly and sentenced many to cruel punishments. They felt that all their hard work would be for naught if Quakers settled in their purely Puritan colonies, and the one thing they wished for was to be left to their own devices. However, they might not have been half as cruel were it not for the persistence of the Quakers to return to their colonies to be made martyrs, such as was the case with Mary Dyer. The Puritans sentenced her to death for returning to the Boston she was banished from, but at the last moment they let her live because the citizens of Boston would feel uncomfortable if too many people were killed; it would remind them of their own persecution in England. Yet Dyer could not take being robbed of her martyrdom, and so returned once more to Boston and was finally hanged.
3. A characteristic of Quaker worship that developed and helped to strengthen their image as a “peculiar people” was silence.
4. Several crucial flaws in Quakerism made it impossible for their religion to flourish in America. Among them was the fact that Quakers thought of any compromise whatsoever as detrimental to the purity of both their religion and their souls. They started out in America being the ones who thought that rules just blurred the Truth, but they ended up being very strict enforcers of their own rules. This type of attitude doomed them in the new American territory where change and adapting were two of the tools needed to survive. Inexperience in the area of government also spelled trouble for this sect that had been so used to living their lives as the persecuted minority.
5. Quakers had always been against oath-taking, thinking that men should be truthful at all times and that oaths were just superfluous. For many years, Quakers avoided taking oaths and instead took “affirmations” that they were telling the truth. However, the new non-Quaker colonists moving into the area started to feel uncomfortable that their leaders would not swear these simple oaths. English officials were now put under pressure to solve this oath problem, and so they instituted an order in 1703 that if non-Quakers had to have oaths administered to them and that was not possible because the judge was a Quaker and refused, the proceedings were declared null and void. A legal system like this can not survive because of all the loopholes and technicalities it introduces. Not until 1725 was a decision reached that satisfied most Quakers; this law established affirmations as equal to oaths while never referring to God, just the truth (which was one of the Quaker problems with the wording of oaths). The Quakers had to make a deal with England to get this new law passed, and that was to enforce the death penalty in Pennsylvania as it was in England. The pacifist Quakers should have been against this, but their view was so clouded by their obstinacy in not swearing oaths that they agreed to sacrifice the lives of many in order to change the wording of oaths. A governing party that is willing to compromise one of the main tenants of their religion for a simple technicality could not effectively rule for very long.
6. We see clearly in the aforementioned oath-taking problem that there was a struggle between moderate and extremist Quakers. Some Quakers were willing to compromise and swear oaths, but the more extreme of them absolutely refused, which dragged the problem out endlessly. These extremists were part of the party led by David Lloyd, called the “country party,” while the conservative party, which was made up of merchants from the cities, was headed by James Logan.
7. 1756 was a very pivotal year for the Quakers. Being pacifists, the Quakers had refused to participate in several previous English colonial wars against the French and the Indians. When war actually came to the Quaker’s backyard in the form of King George’s War and then massacres by Indians occurred all along Pennsylvania’s western border, something had to give. Either they would have to compromise or they would have to step down as the leaders of the government. Since compromise went against what they held most dear, the purity of their religion and of their souls, they were forced to abdicate and acknowledge that Quakers were not fit to rule in the new and dangerous American wilderness.
8. Even though, in the end, the Quakers were not men of politics or leadership, they were able to focus more of their energy on humanitarian efforts after their abdication. They worked against slavery and worked to build hospitals and improve the prisons and insane asylums of the day. Some of these projects are still benefitting people today and are monuments to the effect the Quakers had on this country.
9. By saying that Quakers were like “Protestant Jesuits,” Thomas Jefferson was alluding to the fact that the Quakers were more interested in their own religion and pure souls than in the politics of the country they happened to be living in at the time, much like the Jews scattered all over the world.
10. The Quaker description of themselves as “dissenters in their own country” refers to the fact that they were the original settlers of Pennsylvania and the majority at that time, but since they stayed in the east while so many other immigrants of different religious beliefs moved to the colony and further west, they began to become the minority. They were also the minority in terms of the views they held, such as pacifism.
11. There are several quotes on page 69 that are very interesting, but in my eyes the most interesting of them is: “the Quakers made a dogma of the absence of dogma.” In the beginning of their history in America, they made it a point that they had no strict rules, which suited them quite well in this new territory where religious beliefs were put to the test and it was more favorable to be flexible than to be against compromising (as witnessed by the Puritans). As time went on, however, this absence of rules, or absence of dogma, was as strict to the Quakers as rules were to the Puritans. This unwillingness to compromise was what hindered the Quakers from becoming a major religious group in America, and confined them to living in an inward, secluded sect.
12. While the non-Quaker colonists, among them Germans and Irish, living on the edge of the colony in western Pennsylvania were being scalped and killed and their houses were burning, Quakers were living quite protected lives to the east and were not really affected. Some even went so far as to say that God was keeping Quakers from being killed because they stuck to their pacifist principles. They also had a sugarcoated view of the Indians which led them to think they could not possibly be causing all the harm they were accused of. Benjamin Franklin founded a “strong compromise party,” as Boorstin calls it, whose main aim was to find some way to defend themselves and their colony, because they knew their own government was not going to. This party even included many moderate Quakers who disagreed with the uncompromising and extremist views of the Quaker leaders. He both suggested that the Quakers step down from office and proposed a militia bill.
Eric! didn't ever mean to forget you!
1-a. total equality amongst people and all deserved basic rights
b. The Quakers didn't follow any guidelines upon the formality of dress or speech, but rather, were strongly diswaded against it. Simple is sweet.
c. The Quakers were extremely tolerant. All people were seen the same in God's eyes (if saying so isn't heresy by assuming that God has eyes and thus a comprehensible form). They weren't at all legalistic and didn't beleive that human nature was evil.
d. Martyrdom to the Quakers was proving your loyalty, beleif, and love for God. Being beaten and killed was considered martyrdom. Although self-punishment (self initiated anyway) was viewed by many other Christian denominations as penance, it was viewed as being a martyr by the Quakers.
2. The Puritans prosecuted the Quakers because of the human's irrational fear of anything they don't understand. The Puritans didn't want to delve into the relgion of the Quakers to better understand them because it would appear heresy and conversion, so they punsihed anyone who was publicly a Quaker (i.e. Mary Dyer, who was bannished and killed upon her return to Massachusetts)
3. Quaker worship is considered very informal when compared to that of the Puritans. The Quakers need only to attend a mass to show their devotion, as opposed to Puritans standing, kneeling, sitting, chanting in unison.
4. Boorstin believes that Quarkerism didn't become the dominant religion because of its lack of a governmental society. People want to belong to a "club" and Quakerism appeared to be just organized chaos to an outsider looking in who hadn't read the Quaker's holy book (Bible, duh).
5. Those of the Quaker faith interpreted from the Bible that the Lord should never be sworn upon. This discoraged Quakers from taking any kind of oaths. The English were all about swearing (like swearing on the Bible in court) so this didn't sit well with the English.
6. The Quakers were against all forms of violence and never lifted a finger against anyone who violated the law. This weakened pennsylvania and encouraged troublemakers to enter because of no reprimand for bad deeds.
7. In 1756, a group of Quakers splintered from the religion in an attempt to deal with the threat of Native invasion, yet still were strongly against force. With some of the Quakers leaving the official Quaker legion, the government % of Quakers was no longer in the majority, thus the government was no longer ruled by the Quakers.
8. The Quakers were extremely pacifistic and rarely meddled with the affairs of non-Quakers, presenting a strongly independant and neutral status(Like Switzerland). They were concerned with dealing with internal affairs and letting the rest of the world sort itself out.
9. Thomas Jefferson meant that the Quakers were only loyal to the Quaker community they lived in, regardless of where they lived or who else surrounded them.
10. Pennsylavia was founded by William Penn, a Quaker, and Pennsylvania became a haven for Quakers in the New World. AS time progressed, the Quakers became a minority in the "country" intended for them. They disagreed with the violent thought of the majority of the aliens flowing into their land.
11. The quote on page 68 (sheesh) exemplifies the thoughts Quakers have on living life one day at a time. The barber only need to know about barbing and God, the two factors in his life. He doesn't need algebra unless God tells him he needs learn how to... balance a check book.
12. The Quakers dealt with the warfare around them by turning their heads and not getting involved. They didn't stop others from fighting, but they didn't engage themselves. Benjamin Franklin was a revolutionary in the fact that he proposed to find a way to defend themsleves without getting personally involved in the conflict.
1.
a. The Quaker’s belief in equality did not discriminate by race or origins. “No Christian sect was more intent on belief in equality.” (pg 33) They did not even discriminate against “negroes” or “Indians” as was common at the time. They thought that freedom and equality should apply to all, saying that “Liberty was the natural right of all men equally.”
b. The Quakers believed in simplicity and informality in almost everything like in their dress, language, and daily routines. They thought formality was trivial, and looked to God for most things, which showed in their lack of interest in lavish ceremonies and in their simple ways of life.
c. The Quakers believed all men were good by nature, therefore they were tolerant. Most other Christian denominations believed people were corrupt by nature and needed redemption, so this again made the Quakers different than other sects. They were tolerant to those that believed in the one Lord. “The Frame of Government declared religious freedom to all who acknowledged the Almighty and Eternal God” (pg 34). They were also tolerant to Indians, who were believed by Puritans as cohorts of the devil.
d. “In England, the Quakers remained a minority, raising an accusing and critical voice.” (pg 36). The same was true in America. William Dewsbury said that they “as joyfully entered prisons as palaces” in their relentless search for Martydom. They faced hardships such as this, risking their health, because of the joys they found for “suffering for their Lord.” Their beliefs and relationship with the Lord were so strong that they were persistent. They suffered all punishments for the Lord and some would even seek them out. As they were whipped and tortured, they kept on moving. The Puritans thought the Quakers were a threat to their orthodoxy and Zion. The Quakers still continued on until they departed for Rhode Island, commissioned by God.
2. The Puritans subjugated the Quakers to cruel punishment and poor treatments. This was because the Puritans thought of the Quakers as a threat. They felt like all their hard work would be for nothing if the Quakers moved in. “What right had the Quakers to interfere?” (pg 38). The Puritans did not understand the reasoning behind the Quakers motives, so they punished them cruelly as they would any others as non-Puritans. The Puritans/Massachusetts bay people’s punishments grew as the Quaker’s numbers did, which made it that much more enticing to the Quakers, who sought martyrdom. They happily suffered for their Lord. One such example is Mary Dyer. She was one of the most persistent Quakers. In 1659, she was banished from the colony on pain of death. She didn’t go away easily. She returned to Boston countless times and was banished each time except in 1660, when she was tried and hanged as she wanted, after frustrating the Puritans multiple times.
3. Persistence has been shown in the Quaker’s quest for martyrdom, but that is not the only trait of the worship. Tolerance was also a characteristic of the Quakers. In worship, informality was common and upholding traditions. Also, as they suffered, the Quakers faith strengthened, as shown by the persistence of Mary Dyer.
4. Boorstin thought ideally, Quakerism would have worked. When put into practice in the Americas, Quakers held seats of power which they “knew nothing about.” As leaders tried to find the balance in preserving tradition and tolerance, the society became isolated, and fundamentalist. The “taking of oaths” proved to a large problem in the society, which also shows how fundamental Quakerism became. People were thought liars when not under oath, and oaths were used as a sort of legal system, which in the end became useless. The problem was trying to form a governing society and the confusion in doing so. It’s changed from being an open religion and “built a wall around itself.” The laws and problem with oaths were strictly enforced, and the focus seemed to orbit them.
5. Quakers had been against taking oaths, but in a government and legal system, it was necessary. They had believed God would provide the truth and judgment, and oaths were unnecessary. Taking an oath in testimony was a part of the English system, as was taking an oath for an appointed seat or seat of power. This turned the Quaker’s system upside down. The Quakers made affirmation. Their opinions were void in a court, according to England. As crime became a problem, the Act of 1718 was passed, allowing people to testify and take law without an oath. Their focus on remaining pure put those on trial in jeopardy, because those in office and testifying were not under oath. The trials were not fair because the Quakers could not take an oath. It was a conflict of purity, faith, and government.
6. The Quaker’s believed that the Lord would provide the truth and they relied solely on this. Their passive nature became a problem when it came to governing and legal disputes. They couldn’t defend themselves in court because they didn’t want to punish others and they opposed warfare. They tried to avoid violence. This became troublesome to the people in Pennsylvania, because they had to seat anyone other than a Quaker because of their belief the Lord would take care of it all, rather than finding a more substantial solution. The Pennsylvania government was unsatisfying due to this because action could rarely be taken. Power distribution was also a problem, because they were not instructed from England to hold seats of power.
7. In 1756, Quaker rule was abdicated. The main issue again was pacifism. 1745, Benjamin Franklin started a compromise party. In the end, it displaced the rule over the Quakers. Because of the King’s war, Franklin proposed that the Quakers let others defend the country and rule. When the Indians started “massacring” people, the Quakers decided that it was because of ill-treatment. Some of the less orthodox Quakers joined Franklin in military defense. The majority, however, kept to their Pacifist nature. In 1756, the Quakers tried to get a peace treaty, but Governor Morris wouldn’t hear it. By spring of 1756, the Quakers realized this could not go on forever. There was depletion of their population and a split among the people. Benjamin Franklin suggested they step down from power, let others defend and rule. The Quaker’s took this suggestion and their rule ended.
8. Quaker legacies that were apparent in the 18th Century were that they were continually focused on their faith. They continued to preserve their testament against war, refusing to fight in the revolution. They tended to isolate themselves from others to keep their faith pure. Their plea for universalism and their tolerance also remained into the 18th century. Their abdication from the government however caused them to focus more on humanitarian aspects of live, such as improving and building hospitals.
9. By calling the Quakers “Protestant Jews,” he meant that they were completely devoted to their religious cause, but did not execute it properly. Like they Jews, they were loyal to their beliefs, but not the places they inhabited or the people they encountered. They were more interested in their own beliefs and were not concerned with the politics of the people around them or the land they lived on.
10. The Quaker’s description of themselves as “dissenters in their own country,” was a way of saying that although they were the original founders of Pennsylvania, other peoples had immigrated into their colony, and the Quaker’s became isolated and a minority among those that moved in and also moved farther west than the Quakers had.
11. An interesting quote from page 69 is “The Quakers made a dogma of the absence of dogma. It was a primary article of their creed that a true Christian could have no creed.” When they first settled in Pennsylvania, their primary focus was that of their religion. They lived with no creed or rules, unlike most Christian sects. In their minds, by following a creed or guidelines, you couldn’t completely stick to those beliefs. This eventually became a problem, when they became secluded and isolated from others due to their unwilling attitude toward compromise (such as with the Puritans).
12. Their pacifist nature caused them to retain their faith in the Indians (that they were good people by definition and respected) and to trade with them. Later, they believed their actions were caused by ill-treatment. Also, their pacifist nature retained their anti-war belief. They believed God was protecting them. However, when Benjamin Franklin founded a “compromise party, “which attracted the attentions of many moderate Quakers, they took his suggestion of leaving seats of power so others could rule and defend their country against the war, as the Quaker’s could not, due to their beliefs.
ya for this one i didnt gey everything...
1.a.Belief in Equality: The Quakers believed that liberty was a natural right and all men are created equal.
b.Informality: The Quakers kept everything simple, including dress and language.
c.Toleration: The Quakers believed everyone was essentially good. This allowed for more toleration because they didn’t care about doctrine differences as long as people believed in the one god.
d.Martyrdom: Quakers would rather go through a thousand hardships to gain the full truth then live with half truth.
3.Quakers went through very rigorous worship rituals that included whipping post and other forms of mutilation. They went through there suffering with dignity. Silence became part of worship
4. Quakerism never grew because they built a wall around themselves and became less compromising, much unlike the puritans who flourished because of this.
5. Quakers believed that taking oaths did not mean anything because it was just a simple phrase and didn’t mean anything. Quakers for a time believed that taking oaths were vicious. This caused majors problems over the years and by the 18th century an anti-Quaker party was forming due to the Quakers not willing to take oaths.
6.Two major Quakers groups battled for power: the extremists and the conservatives. Both wanted the power to rule and both felt they were in the right, so naturally, they failed to successfully govern a colony. They also realized after sometime that their principles would need to be compromised to stop a rebellion
7. A fight took place which formed an alliance with the Anglicans and Presbyterians against the Quakers. Also a dramatic withdrawal took place were many of the Quakers left the “Quaker Assembly.”
9. Thomas Jefferson referred to the Quakers as ‘Protestant Jesuits’ because they were so strongly devoted to their ‘will of superiority.’ It caused them to stop thinking about there country, and focus on themselves. This becomes evident when people are getting massacred by the Indians, and they do nothing to stop it.
12. Benjamin Franklin proposed to the Quakers that they should step down from office and let other people who were in the majority (the puritans) to rule. He claimed that it was not the Quakers right to put the rest of the colony in danger and in a war for a selfish, religious based reason.
1. a) Chief among Quaker philosophy was their staunch belief in equality. Boorstin even claims that “No Christian sect was more insistent…” As early as 1715, John Woolman preached that it was erroneous of men to have enslaved any man, including Negroes. While it is true that Quakers were way ahead of the times by preaching the fallacies of slavery, like our founding fathers up until 1919, there was one major problem. “I believed that Liberty was the natural Right of all Men equally.” Woolman somehow forgot to mention women.
b) Additionally, the Quakers were simple folk and held true to their opposition to formalities in dress, language, and ceremony. To the Quakers, fancy attire and speech were merely a hindrance in their path to purity of the soul.
c) The Quakers also possessed a strong belief in the good of man. This resulted in their ability to “tolerate” most people, despite their opposing doctrine. William Penn offered freedom to all who believed in God, as long as they agreed to live peacefully within their society. Boorstin does, however, admit that the Quakers were only “less disturbed” than others by differences, a far cry from applying religious tolerance. Boorstin also claims they “welcomed men of all sects.” It is, therefore, hard to believe that they would cherish the addition of Native Americans into their community whom they considered to be minions of Satan, especially considering they possessed “no patience with any people who differed in the slightest from their doctrine…”
d) The Quakers were extremely passionate in their quest for the pure soul, and were thus, almost infatuated with the thought of martyrdom…succumbing to the ultimate sacrifice for their religion: death. They sought hardship and obstacles such as risking their lives to “Indians and wild animals” (which Boorstin appropriately puts in the same category of course) in an effort to “find a crown of martyrdom.” Boorstin even goes as far to claim that “Never before have people gone to such trouble or traveled so far for their Lord.” I suppose, being an American historian, he simply forgot about the Islamic faith which began and persisted on a much larger scale hundreds of years before, which in fact requires a long and arduous pilgrimage in the name of God and also reveres martyrs.
2. The treatment of the Quakers by the Puritans was, from an outsider’s perspective, harsh and unnecessarily cruel. The Puritans held true to their name and felt that they had to remain a “pure” and orthodox society. The Quakers were infringing upon the Puritans’ City upon a Hill by preaching their opposing doctrine, which the Puritans simply could not tolerate. The Puritans even went so far as to starve, cut off ears, lay 117 lashes, and hang the pesky Quakers who refused to let the colony of Massachusetts Bay alone. The Puritans’ attempts to discourage the Quakers by ordaining increasingly terrible punishments and pain of death, like moths to a light, only drew the Quakers in more heavily. In the case of Mary Dyer, a Quaker who insistently preached in Boston among the Puritans, she was sentenced to be hanged, along with two other Quakers. However, after her two compadres were executed, Mary was simply banished. This punishment seems even more cruel than death, due to the fact that it was death and martyrdom that Mary actually sought. Mary, however, did not let this pardon sway her, and returned less than a year later to her welcomed death.
3. A defining characteristic of Quaker worship is found in silence. The Quaker obedience to silence as a form of worship seems ironic considering the nuisance they were to the Puritans in pursuing martyrdom.
4. The rigid and uncompromising nature proved to be the downfall of Quakers in America. Their ultimate undoing came from being too true to the doctrines of Quakerism. As noted by Charles Darwin, adaptation is the key to survival. It was the Quaker’s failure to recognize this which set them up for failure. The Quakers accepted no variation from their religion in fear that it would compromise the purity of their souls. They allowed strict rules to override commonsense necessary in forming a government, such as their belief in bettering their personal selves, rather than focusing on building a strong, reliable community. The Quakers also became paradoxes to their own religion, as they enforced strict rules (such as men never taking off their hats) and subjecting themselves to formalities in language (such as using thee and thou) which originally were strictly forbidden.
5. The Quakers found a great deal to gripe about when it came to the “taking of oaths.” In their minds, all men should be truthful no matter the circumstance, and to force them to take an oath of truth suggested otherwise. However, as the non-Quaker population rose, people began to question the authority and authenticity of these leaders who would not take a simple oath. As controversy persisted, William Penn encouraged Quaker leaders to hold strong against the swearing of oaths and keep their souls pure. However, the Quakers’ obstinacy could not help them as laws were passed which allowed them to hold office but rendered any proceedings under them “null and void.” Some Quakers bowed to the pressures of the Crown to take an “affirmation” instead, but many were still not satisfied as it required them to swear in the name of God. Finally, in 1725, the dispute was ended when any reference to God was excluded from formal affirmations. A great many of the headstrong purist Quakers, however, still encouraged Quakers not to run for office, as they might be tempted to “violate their principle against administering oaths.” The Quakers ran into further troubles for upholding their religious dogma when it came to capital punishment and the crime of murder. Because Quakers refused to take oaths and therefore could not testify in court or sit in a jury, many murders in Quaker communities were simply released on bail. The Quakers provide an extreme case of rigid adhesion to religious doctrine, even laying down lives of men and women to achieve purity of their own souls.
6. The Quakers’ strict observance of their religion resulted in the tremendous burden of ruling a colony while still adhering to their religious laws. The first problem the Quakers ran into was themselves. As is true in any organization, there were mild members of the faith and on the other side of the spectrum, there were the fanatics. The fanatical observers of Quakerism prolonged controversies over the governing of the colony by the aforementioned refusal to take oaths, along with their steadfast practice of pacifism. By their negation of taking oaths, the Quakers subjected themselves to dilemmas of how to punish capital offenders, external threats, and ultimately sacrificed power by allowing non-Quakers to hold office instead. Pacifism lead to bitter disputes as to how to deal with the necessity of defense as their proprietor, England, became engaged in wars with France (Queen Anne’s War) and Spain (King George’s War). The Quakers were able to resist violence in these wars, but faced the all too real violence which was brought upon them by the Native Americans of the Six Nations. Really, what’s a pacifist to do when faced with “scalp-hungry Indians?”
7. By 1756, it had become increasingly obvious that the Quakers could not possibly rule effectively while still upholding the doctrinaire of their religion. Boorstin believes the main catalyst of the fall of the Quakers to be their inability to “correctly” judge the Indians. He claims that the Quakers underestimated the cruelty of the Indians, and were thus subjected to their bloody massacres against the colony. However, all Teedyuscung, Chief of the Delawares wanted was a promise that they would stop invading their rightful lands. The Quaker strategy of “sincere, upright Dealing with the Indians” would have worked beautifully if the Proprietors were not insistent upon taking the Native American land. Instead, non-pacifists aggravated the Native Americans, and the Quakers generosity of supplying them with money later used for weapons, backfired. It was this conflict with the Native Americans, along with the growing incorporation of colonies into European politics, which led to the ultimate demise of the Quakers. Pennsylvania was being torn apart by the three opposing parties of Benjamin Franklin with moderate Quakers, Quaker extremists led by zealous pacifists such as Israel Pemberton, and the Proprietors. This pitted parties for militia, against pacifists who refused to pay taxes, against the Proprietors and Governor. On June 4, 1756, six major Quakers of the Assembly resigned. The ensuing election still found twelve Quakers elected to the Assembly, but they were not representative of the pure Quaker community.
8. Although the Quakers proved to be a nuisance politically, their legacies of devotion to humanity still linger today. Influential Quakers headed the movement against the enslavement of human beings and were major contributors to the construction of hospitals along with advocating humane treatment within insane-asylums and prisons.
9. Thomas Jefferson believed the Quakers to be a nation, not tied to the land on which they resided, but tied to their own beliefs. In cases of trials and tribulations, they would turn internally to the perfection of themselves, rather than apply themselves to the good of the actual country. Thus, Jefferson believed them to be “Protestant Jesuits.”
10. Once a strong and influential majority, in the late 18th century, the Quakers found themselves to be a mere ripple in the flood of other religious groups which were taking hold in Pennsylvania. Their dogma was now a minority as their views of pacifism, and even religious tolerance were rarely noticed. Inevitably, the Quakers had become “Dissenters in our own country.”
11. The quote of John Churchman provides a more detailed look into the stubborn and insular views of diehard Quakers. Whereas a Puritan might appreciate sciences and mathematics, a Quaker would be more prone to dismissing the work which might benefit others and instead devote himself to God so he “might walk before him acceptably.”
12. Being a pacifist in an era of revolutions and warfare is no easy task. The Puritans had to shift their methods of attempting to run a government plagued with violence. Originally, while enemy attack was not such an imminent threat against Pennsylvania, the Quakers were able to fend off requests from their proprietors to take arms. Benjamin Franklin, however, gained the support of many moderate Quakers, and lobbied for the development of a militia in order to defend the torn borders of Pennsylvania. He also advocated a military bill which would require all men to succumb to military duty or pay for defense while allowing the officers to be elected by the soldiers in a democratic process. Eventually, however, the most zealous of Quakers were forced to step out of the Assembly as the massacres by the Native Americans became undeniable, and their goal of inviolate pacifism was at risk.
I am going to follow the directions and answer the questions that interest me the most.
1.a. The Quakers believed that all men should equally have the same rights. The Quakers believed in universal liberty of all men regardless of religion or ethnicity.
b. Quakers believed in simplicity in dress and speech. They opposed ceremonies and formalities.
c. The Quakers believed that all men were basically good. They also believed in the toleration of all groups who accepted God as their savior. Doctrinal differences did not bother them in the least.
d. Martyrdom seems to be a large belief among Quakers. Boorstin argues that martyrdom was, "a preoccupation with the purity of their own souls." (pg. 34)
3. One characteristic of Quaker worship was silence. During worship, Quakers did not need constantly to profess their belief in God. They felt that silence showed their belief in God. Sermons only happened spontaneously.
4. Quakerism did not become a dominant religion in America because of the martyrs. Martyrdom made people focus on themselves and not the community. This then caused the community to weaken. American Quakers originally wanted to be "Searchers for the Truth" but ended up being enforcers of a religion that needed no hierarchy. Quakerism began as a religion that shunned the ideas of hierarchy and formal customs. However, in the end The Quakers had created a society with the very things they condemned.
8. One Quaker legacy that was seen in the 18th century was pacifism. This pacifism caused several problems. In Quaker-controlled colonies there were non-Quakers. This caused a problem because the Quakers were responsible for protecting the non-Quakers. This went against the Quakers’ policy of pacifism. The Quakers managed to come up with a reasonable solution: the Governor of their colony would be a non-Quaker. This created the idea of the separation of church and state, an idea that this country still uses today. The Quakers continued to use pacifism through out the 18th century, and declared neutrality in the American Revolution.
9. Thomas Jefferson thought that the Quakers had no free thoughts and that they constantly followed the orders of their "mother society in England." Jefferson referred to the Quakers as "Protestant Jesuits" because, much like Catholic Jesuits who had allegiance to the Pope, the Quakers allegiance was to their religion not their country. Jefferson stated that the Quakers are "devoted to the will of their superior" and not to their countries.
10. William Penn said that he and his fellow Quakers were "dissenters in their own country" because the Quakers were becoming more insular and more restrictive in the people whom they let belong to their faith. Some Quakers, such as Samuel Fothergill, put more emphasis on resigning from government so that one could live in "peace and quietness." The Quakers even went out of their way not to participate in the law or the government. Marriage to a non-Quaker was "frowned upon or prohibited," disputes among Quakers were dealt with during Quaker meetings rather than using a court of law, and even disputes with Native Americans were handled with out the interference of the government. The Quakers chose to pull themselves out of the system of the law and the government, thus they were "dissenters in their own country."
I was wondering why the Quakers, who professed to being so tolerant, went out of their way to annoy the Puritans? I was doing some more research on the subject and found an account of a Quaker woman who walked down the aisle of a Puritan church, naked, while a minister was giving a sermon. This woman was shouting insults at the minister as she walked down the aisle. This does not sound like tolerance to me...
1.
-A: The Quakers had a strong belief in equality and liberty for all.
-B: The Quakers didn't support any formal attire, language, or ceremonies.
-C: Quakers were very tolerant, more than any of the other Christians of the time. They even welcomed Indians, unheard of at that time.
-D: Quakers were intense martyrs. They would do anything to show the strength of their faith, and would sometimes track through the wild to preach at a city they knew they would be persecuted in.
2. The Puritans treated the Quakers poorly because they didn't know of another way to handle it. The Puritans wanted to be left alone and "build Zion according to their model. What right had the Quakers (or anyone else) to interfere?" (pg 38). However, the Quakers wanted and enjoyed the strictness because of their martyr ideas, and a tenacious example is Mary Dyer, who returned to Boston to face death many times, not stisified by being banished and keeping her life.
3. Informality was a characteristic of Quaker worship. They were silent and didn't use grand and overdone ceremonies, everything was small and proper.
4. Quakerism didn't become the dominant religion in America because of the Quakers themselves. People left the relgion for more respectable and less demanding relgions. Quakerism was very demanding and too true to the teachings. "They were enforcers rather than devotees of God" (pg 42)
5. Quakers believed that you shouldn't swear on the Lord. This was a problem for the English government because people had to be sworn into the legal system, and the Quakers would refuse, causing delays and annoyances.
6. The Quakers faced problems when trying to govern the country because of their tolerance and pacifist ideals. They wouldn't go to war or commit violence, which made them easy targets for those wanting to take advantage of them. Also, the people who weren't as tolerant didn't like the Quakers accepting Native Americans.
7. 1756 was when the Quakers split up, some to fight the Indians and others who disagreed. This split made them lose the majority and lose power.
9. Jefferson ment that the Quakers were too focsued on their own Christian ideas and loyal to only themselves.
10. When they described themselves as "Dissenters in their own country" they ment that they had founded the country but were now a minority after all the other people and religions came in.
~Chris Sogge~ :)
1.)Quakers belief in:
a.) Equality was a big part of Quaker belief, and everybody, reguardless of gender or race, was looked at as equals
b.) The Quakers opposed almost all formality associated with clothing and language. They looked at these things as unessential, just a distraction from religion
c.) The Quaers tolerate all types of people, reguardless of differences. Unlike the Protestants, Quakers allowed entry into their society as long as the person believed in their God. People were looked at as naturally good, and as long as they accepted God and demonstrated good citizenship, they were tolerated.
d.) The Quakers were so obsessed with religion and their god that they even went as far as to seek out places (such as Puritan communities) were they would be hurt or killed for their god.
2.) The original hatred of the Quakers by the Puritans was because the Quakers were looked at as intruders to the Puritan societies in New England and would not leave them alone. The Quakers wouldn't agree with the Puritans on anything, so they were just looked at as a nuisances and it was Gods will to dispose of them. The Quakers would consistently come back to Puritan towns to seek martyrdom, which angered the Puritans more. For example, Mary Dyer, a Quaker, was so persistant in her quest for martyrdom that she had to return multiple times before she was actually hung by the Puritans and achieved martyrdom
3.) One characteristic was that the Quaker worship was that silence was important to their worship, unlike other religious groups such as the Puritans, where formality and speech was very important.
4.) Quakerism failed to become the dominant religion in New England not because of the theology aspect of the religion, but because of poor leadersip and structure. Because the Quakers were tolerant, Quakerism seemed like it would be the optimal religion, winning over many converts. However, this was not so due to poor quaker leadership and the fact that the quakers refused change. They looked at change as a threat to their purity, and they maintained strict and often useless laws because they didnt believe in any variation of their religion.
5.) The problem with oath taking occured in the 1700s between the quakers and their English laws and trials. While the Quaker religion prohibited oath taking because the bible said you should never swear in the lords name, so they could maintain purity. On the other hand, people had to take an oath in testimonys by English law. This caused a problem in many Quaker societies in Pennsylvania, where murder trials had to be postponed and people were just let off on bail because people wouldnt take oath.
6.) Many of the Quakers' theological practices interfered with their ability to proberly run a government. Because of the Pacifism associated with Quaker society, they ran into trouble in any situations involving fighting and defence. While they could somewhat avoid violence in their supporting wars with England, where they didnt neccesarily need to fight, they had a much harder time avoiding violence in wars against the Native Americans. Also, the problem of oath taking was another issue that interfered with the Quakers' ability to properly run their colonies, because they had no proper way of dealing with murderers, as shown in question 5.
7.) In 1756, things began to quickly worsen within Quaker society. The encroaching Native American populations were becoming more and more aggressive, and war was inevitable. The quakers decided to mantain their non violent, pacifist ideals and thought they could make beace with the Native Americans giving them money. However, the Native Americans did not accept the peace offering and began vicious slaughters on the Quaker population. Then, there was a seperation in the Quaker society. 2 new Quaker groups formed, 1 more moderate, led by Benjamin Franklin, and another more extreme group. Many important Quaker officials then resigned. The combination of war, seperation, and resignations were major factors in the eventual termination of the Quakers.
8.) Many of the quakers non-violent, tolerant ideals became very important later in the 18th century. Equality was very important, and later quakers became strong advocators of gender and race equality (womens rights, freeing slaves). Also, many new hospitals were built under Quaker supervision.
9.) Jeffersons statement was based off of Quakers strict following of their theology. They were so focused on religious ideals that they would rather let people die and killers go free than disobey their ancient religious beliefs.
10.) They were called "Dissenters in their own country" because while they were the original founders, they later became the minority in their own community after floods of new immigrants entered their population.
12.) It was difficult for the Quakers to abide by their religious pacifism during fights and wars. One method used was to elect non-quakers to office who could make the more "violent" decisions for them. Another attempted "method" was to use overwhelming non violence to the point of paying the opposition to avoid war. However, this method failed miserably as displayed in the Quaker war with the Native Americans.
1a. The Quakers believed in equality for everyone, not just white men, and that power was often abused.
1b. They wanted their lives to be very simple and didn't care for excessive ceremony.1c. The Quakers believed that everyone was essentially good and they tolerated other doctrines. They also accepted the Native religions, which was uncommon in that time.
1d. They were rather preoccupied with the purity of their souls and would go to any lengths to ensure that they were doing that. They would purposely go to places where they would be punished for their beliefs, and they would do so happily, believing that it was the right thing to do.
2.The Puritans treated Quakers poorly because they wanted to maintain their orthodox society and the Quakers would continually come into their settlements to be punished. For example, Mary Dyer was sent away but came back anyway and was quite content with the idea of being put to death. She seemed to prefer death for her religion than living with the belief that she did something wrong. The Puritans didn't want the Quakers in their community, but the Quakers would keep coming anyway.
4. Quakerism didn't become the dominant religion in America, at least according to Boorstin, because it wasn't a religion that focused on a strong community and because it lacked form and was overly personal.
7. In 1756, the Quakers abdicated their part in the government. After wars continuously surrounding them, and their refusal to be involved because of their strong belief in pacifism, they were left with a choice to compromise their beliefs or leave the government. The Quakers decided that it was much better to stay true to their religion, and so in 1756, the gave up power.
9. Jefferson referred to Quakers as "Protestant Jesuits." I believe that by this, he meant that they, like the Jesuits, were completely devoted to their beliefs and their "superior's will", not at all to their country.
10. Even though the Quakers were the original colonists of Pennsylvania, they kept themselves so separate and isolated from the groups that came in later that they became a minority and never went farther than the eastern part, despite the movements of other groups.
1.
a. The Quakers believed that all men were created equally (a founding American ideal,) in fact John Woolman compared the plantation owners’ enslavement of Africans to the Turkish enslavement of Christians, clearly showing that he believed that they were equal.
b. The Quakers believed in informality, such as plain and simple clothes and dialogue. Most likely because the bible preaches to not care about earthly material possessions and essentially that the rich will go to hell while the poor to heaven.
c. The Quakers were tolerant if you believed in one god, if it was Jewish, Muslim, Zoroastrian; they gave you religious freedom because or your monotheism. In fact, while they were massacring and being massacred by the Native Americans they still took time to see similarities in religion (even if the Quakers believed the Natives to be agents of the devil.)
d. According to Boorstin, Martyrdom began to become selfish. All of the focus inward on ones soul, trying to die for a cause so that you will go to heaven, one can see his point, especially when they remember the limited numbers of Colonists. If they all became martyrs and sacrificed themselves, who would be left?
2. The Puritans did atrocious penalties, such as banishment, torture, and even death, to Quaker preachers who showed up in their colonies. As more Quakers appeared, so did more drastic penalties. This clearly shows that the Quakers were a significant threat to the Puritan religion and way of life, it may have been hyped up by remembrance of the English oppression, but some of the penalties were so horrible they don’t sound real. Like the one inflicted on Mary Dyer who was tricked into thinking she was going to be hung only to send a message to others or the atrocities performed on Christopher Holder.
3. A main characteristic of Quaker worship was to be possessed by this inner strength and go on missions to preach to people despite knowing what atrocities could happen. one famous Quaker, William Brend, spoke of the torture and death threats upon him as, “a spider’s web to my finger” Even though these adventures may have ventured on the masochistic side (Josiah Southwick taunted guards to whip him harder after they were finished,) it no doubt took extreme devotion.
4. According to Boorstin, Quakerism did not become the dominant religion for a few reasons: First, Quakerism was seemingly random and chaotic, something useful maybe when there is already a set up system. But when they are trying to create an entirely new governmental system from scratch, all the “fluidity” and “spontaneity” aren’t very useful. Secondly, all of the old traditional Quaker ways lost their meaning. Earlier in the colonial years, Quakers would not dress exuberantly, the younger generations began to take this as and dress that certain way on purpose. Same with removing your hat for respect. And Finally the Quakers were too tolerant! They allowed anyone into their colonies (i.e. German and Irish immigrants) it’s hard to be the dominate religion when you let anyone and everyone into your colonies and give them power.
5. Taking oaths, from a biblical sense, is strictly forbidden because Jesus himself declared, “swear not at all.” Also the Quakers began to view oath taking as this: if one needs to take an oath to be honest then without and oath they wouldn’t be. So essentially they viewed oaths as calling people liars and cheaters. Eventually the English government intervened in 1693 when they removed William Penn, for not being sworn into office. The problem was thoroughly solved in 1725 when a law declared that affirmations (equal to oaths since 1718 thanks to a law) did not have any mention of god in them. Another problem was also in the 1718 law. It was essentially a compromise, the Quakers would not have to take oaths if they took on the same criminal law system of punishments as England (beforehand, only traitors and killers were put to death.) so another problem with oaths was that it forced the Quakers to pay the price for being pure, criminals lives.
6. Perhaps one of the biggest problems that the Quakers faced in governing was the fact that they could not hold office or be a witness without giving an oath, which they refused to do because it contained the words “in the name of almighty god”. So the Quakers already employed suffered much discrimination because if they can not give evidence in court how can they prove someone wronged them? The truth was they couldn’t, until 1718 when a law made affirmations legal.
7. The Quakers officially lost control of Pennsylvania in 1756 when the English government declared war upon the Delawares and the Shawnee. Upon this most of the Quakers resigned from the governing body (the Provincial Assembly, which before hand Quakers filled 28/36 seats while being less that ¼ of the population.) and after the resignations, a group of Quakers significantly large enough to have the majority was never elected (12 held office the following year out of which only eight were loyal to the “Friends”.)
8. Probably the most substantial legal change the Quakers enacted was the Enactment of 1718, which declared that Affirmations can be taken instead of Oaths and that there are more crimes that are punishable with death than Treason and Murder. Both of these effects are still around today along with infrastructure like the Pennsylvania Lying-In Hospital.
9. Thomas Jefferson called the Quakers protestant Jesuits. Jesuits are a sect of Catholicism who in the Spanish Inquisition killed hundreds of citizens of their own country to preserve a unified religious base. The Quakers are protestant Jesuits because: first of all they are not catholic, but more importantly they risked the welfare of other people to keep the sanctity of their religion. Rather than take up arms against the Native Americans, they stayed passive, which resulted in the death of hundreds. Rather than take oaths so that they could be legal witnesses in courts they protested, letting murders and criminals get away with their crimes. Basically, the Quakers destroyed the people around them to keep their souls pure.
10. The Quakers were “dissenters in their own country” because even though they created Pennsylvania, they were helping to destroy it all in their quest to stay pure. They separated themselves from the regular courts by the business with the Affirmations or just taking problems directly to the council, they cost the lives of hundreds on the Western Front by refusing to deal with the Native Americans or creating a defense, and they generally separated themselves from the others by prohibiting inter marriage with non Quakers.
11. The last paragraph on page 69 essentially talks about how the Quaker task was impossible. It’s impossible to attempt a new settlement in a foreign land nonviolently. Also combined with the fact that the Quaker ideals kept changing in importance and could not be set fully because to “compromise was a defeat.” Even though the Quakers compromised many times (ie the oath/affirmation business.)
12. Benjamin Franklin made the Quakers realize that for the survival of the colony, the Quakers had to relinquish their governmental control (in Plain Truth in 1747.) After this the Quakers had to deal with warfare, although they did not do any actual fighting, all but the extremists still funded the war. They justified their actions by simply saying their duty was to, “support the Queen’s government by money,” Before 1747, the Quakers blamed the warfare on the unjust regulations by the English and attempted to change those.
1. a) Equality was a big virtue in the quaker society. Equality didn't just mean white, rich, and landowning males, it also meant men that were not white and women.
b) Formality was not an issue in society. Informality in the dress and language was widely accepted, and no one was turned down for learning.
c) Tolerance was the base of the Quaker society. Anyone was allowed as long as they believed in a lord. They also accepted Indians into their society so there was no racism.
d) Martyrdom was highly accepted in the Quaker society. They often traveled to New England to the Puritan societies where Quakers were looked down upon. They did this to speak their ideas and to incite punishment that often resulted in death.
2. The Puritans were not fond of religious tolerance at all, so without knowing the Quakers goal of martyrdom the Puritans responded with harsh punishments that often resulted in death. At first it was only a chopped off ear or being held in prison without food for a few days. Once the Quakers kept returning, the result was often death. However, this did not discourage the Quakers as the Puritans had planned. Once Mary Dyer (one of the only women to travel to Massachusetts as a martyr) traveled to the Puritan society, the goal of the Quakers was well known in New England. She was sent back to Pennsylvania several times. She was put up to be hung many times only to be taken down and sent home. After frustrating the Puritans so much she finally got the wish that she deserved.
3. Like the language and dress of the Quaker society worship was very informal. Unlike the Puritan way of worship, it was silent and it was not necessary to speak any words to the lord.
4. The main reason the Quakers did not flourish was because of the belief that there should be no hierarchy. Thus there was no set governing system and there were troubles putting one in place. Another reason was that the Quakers invited everyone to their society. According to Boorstin, the Quakerism was not a dominant religion because it was too chaotic with so many different faiths.
5. The Quakers did not believe in taking oath to join office because they did not believe in swearing on the lord's name. This practice was not accepted in England, but when trial and testimonies came it had to wait because if the witnesses were Quakers than they could not testify with a lack of oath. For the Quakers benefit, the term "oath" was then changed to "affirmation" which had no mention of God in it. This was for the people like William Penn who had been thrown out of office because he had not taken an oath.
6. A main issue the Quaker government faced was the fact they were too nice. They governed with pacifism. They realized that they they could not punish criminals without the use of violence. Another internal issue as stated before was the fact that it was not allowed to take an oath in Quaker society. This proved to be difficult for the Quakers because an oath was required in order to hold office. Later this dilemma was solved by the law that changed the name of an oath to an affirmation.
7. In 1756 the Quakers made another branch of government with the idea of stunting the growing Indian population. They were however ineffective due to the fact that the second group was just as peaceful as the first. Thus the Quakers lost control over Pennsylvania and England declared war against the Delaware Indian Nation.
8. By the eighteenth century, the Quakers had undergone some extreme legacies. For example, many of the Quakers took up humanitarianism that overall had a positive effect. Many also came over Quakerism and became merchants.
9. Jefferson referred to the Quakers as "Protestant Jesuits" because it was apparent that the Quakers were not loyal to the land they lived on but only loyal to themselves and their religion. For example, instead of dealing with the Indians in a practical way, they remained passive and the English brutally murdered hundreds of Indians in war.
10. The Quakers considered themselves "dissenters of their own country" because they were too passive. They were very tolerant to the different groups of people, but in the end it were these people who ran the government. As a whole the Quakers turned into the minority. In the end, the Quakers did not have any say in whether violence should be allowed or not because they were the minority.
11. The interesting quote on page 68 basically is talking about how stubborn the Quakers are. They don't really appreciate the sciences and an education. He would rather take up a plough than take the time to study algebra and become a lawyer. This also says the Quakers are lazy and don't want to go through the trouble of learning something new.
12. Since the Quakers were pacifists they did not handle warfare around them, but handed it over to someone else. They elected non-Quaker people to hold office in the government so that if any unorthodox decisions were made they weren't the ones to make them. Ben Franklin was the man who originally suggested this strategy.
1) a. the Quakers believed that all people were equal, both spiritually and physically here on earth.
b. They did not tolerate much formality, either in the way that they talked, acted, or dressed. They saw formality as something trivial and distracting from a life devoted to God.
c. the Quakers were very tolerable people who did not practice exclusion or shun people, believing that people were good deep down. Most other Christian denominations at that time, and even today, didn't/don't follow this train of thought, and think that people are inherently bad and must be set straight.
d.. The Quakers held a deep fascination with Martyrdom, maybe not extreme as some sects of Islam, but it was certainly held in high regard if one of their brothers or sisters of the faith died or was killed in an effort to profess their faith.
2) The Puritans treated the Quakers so poorly because, like most people of that time, if you didn't believe what everyone else believed, you were sinful and wrong. The Puritans were simply nut-cases who were obsessed with always being right and always disposing of "sin", which was in this case, Quakers. In the case of Mary Dyer, she sought to be hung, to become a martyr for her faith. Therefor, she continually returned to Boston, not only to proclaim her faith, but also to be executed. The Puritan community held off for several trials giving Mary what she wanted, but finally they gave in, and she was hung on May 21, 1660.
3) A certain quality of Quaker worship was how personal it was. They seemed to emphasize that worship was between the individual and God, and, due to this belief, there could be times when no one spoke during worship. There was no need. There weren't any fancy readings or rituals and there was no certain was to do it. They also left out any formality. No one wore their Sunday best. They didn't concern themselves with their physical appearance.
5) The problem that arose due to the "taking of oaths" was that the law of England and of New England was that anyone who took political office or gave testimony at a trial had to swear an oath. However, in accordance to their interpretation of the Bible, the Quakers did not believe in taking oaths. Due to this belief, trials and succession to political offices by Quakers would cause conflict with the written law of the land.
6) Due to the Quaker belief in pacifism, any Quaker law enforcer could not punish any law-offenders, thus causing criminals to take advantage of the law system. They also couldn't take up arms or fight to defend their homes or cities. Due to all of these beliefs in pacifism, most of the Quaker political officials had to be removed from power for the benefit for all.
8) The Quaker legacies that held on throughout the 18th century were mainly holding their yearly meetings, as a sort of follow-up/catch-up and evaluation of how each little group was doing and how the Quaker community as a whole was holding up. They also held fast to their notion of neutrality, which caused them to "ride the fence" during the American Revolutionary War, believing that choosing a side would conflict with God's will. some of their humanitarian viewpoints seemed to have lasted eve into the 19th century, such as the Abolitionist Movement and the Age of Enlightenment.
Quakers
1a) Quakers believed that all men, regardless of background, should have the right to liberty; and that too often, those in power abused that principle.
1b) Informality was another trait acquired by Quakers. Dress, language, and other cultural characteristics were to be kept to a simple, nonceremonious nature.
1c) In the Frame of Government created by William Penn, it was made clear that all those who believed in God shall have religious freedom. Thus for Quakers, tolerance became another important virtue. This was especially significant in the peaceful relations that developed between Quakers and Native Americans.
1d) Quakers lacked, as described by Boorstin, “neither courage nor energy.” This largely was attributed to their encouragement of martyrdom. This caused Quakers to strengthen as a group, but also it caused their great opposition from Puritans on the grounds of beliefs.
2)Because the Quakers emerged as a group protesting the views of Puritans, the Puritans responded in their usual way of dealing with mischief: harsh punishment. But part of the reasons Quakers were treated so bad was the fact that Puritans thought that the Quakers would get the point if they began to increase the severity of punishments. As seen with the case of Mary Dyer, however, it only increased their want for martyrdom. Mary Dyer was at first banished from Boston, returned and sentenced to death but exiled at the last minute again, and finally returned to receive the death that she was proud to die for. The message sent to the Puritans was that Quakers weren’t going to drop their beliefs any time soon.
4) Boorstin points out that the reason Quakerism failed to become the American religion was related to its stubbornness to move from anything other than simplicity and spontaneity. Their persistence on wearing hats indoors and wearing at all times the Quaker drab did nothing but defend the point they were trying to disestablish: formality. Although it was the goal of Quakers to spread the word to the ends of the earth, their lack of organization thwarted this goal, and it was not aided by the fact that many Quakers were dying from their not so necessary protest.
9) Thomas Jefferson called Quakers “Protestant Jesuits” because of their devotion to their leaders that still existed in England. This caused Quakers to be poor patriots, because they did not care for duties to their countries, but instead devoted all energy towards satisfying the leaders that were left in Britain.
12) In times of warfare, Quakers tried the best to represent the minority, which in the case of the mid 1700s were the Native Americans. Usually they did not fight, and in this case, the Quakers formed an association for representing the Native Americans peaceably. Benjamin Franklin was important in all of this because he was the representing politician for many Quakers (mostly the broadminded ones, however) and thus had the responsibility to make their requests evident on a larger scale.
1.
a.The quakers beleif in equality was something manyh people hadn't seen in a religious sect before this. They felt thet they were right, however, they did not openly and publically put down other religious views.
b.The quakers were very informal. They tried not to be very strict in the way they taught, which is one of the reasons that the quaker sect really took off.
c.Most of the quakers were taught to openly shun racism and such things due to their ideals on toleration.
d.The idea of martyrdom in quakerism is one that states that, if you die for your religion, you will be treated as a king/queen in heaven.
3. Quaker worship focuses on their notions and ideals of equality toleration and informality. They made sure that these aspects of their religion were followed to the letter, and they beleived that was the best way to worship God.
9. When jefferson referred to them as protestant jesuits, i think he ment it in the best way possible. The jesuits were men who followed catholocism to the teeth and had nothing on their minds but what God wanted for them to do. In this way, the quakers did the same thing. They followed the bible so well, that it seemed that that was all they thought about.
12. The quakers dealt very interestingly with the constant warfare. They refused to be a part of the warfare itself, however, they did help with the strategy and other non-violent aspects of warfare. Benjamin franklin played a major role in the planning of the war, and not in the fighting.
1a. Quakers believed that every person on earth is equal. contrary to most contemporary beliefs at the time.
1b. Quakers believed that formalities were superficial, and just dressed down and spoke in a common tongue.
1c. Quakers believe that all people are generally good, and they must be trated aptly.
d. Quakers believed that one way into heaven was to suffer in the name of their god.
2. The Puritans did not understand the non-puritan quakers, so they persecuted them, attracting more quakers seeking to be martyred. Mary Dyer was one such Quaker who persisted upon going to massachusetts to the puritans until they hung her.
3. Worship for the Quakers was very casual, and usually involved silent prayers.
4. Boorstin states that Thw theory of Quakerism is potentially perfect, but, just liuke communism, when it is put into practive, it never works as palnned.
5. They would not take oaths, as swearing to god was considered a sin, but the british judicial system requires a testifying witness to take an oath.
6. Quaker's pacifism stopped them from being able to defend themselves or to persecute criminals, posing a huge problem to society.
7. In 1756, some ruling Quakers left the colonies in a failed attempt to pacify the local surrounding native american people.
8. Quakers rule backed out and became secluded during the american revolution because they felt taking sides would be a sin. many then became merchants to the american people up through the 18th century.
9. Jefferson stated that the Quakers were like Protestant Jesuits, due to the fact that their ideals were built on religion alone, not on society.
10. Many other groups entered pennsylvania, and in the late 18th century, the Quakers had become a small minority, and therefore had to struggle to keep a violent pennsylvania at peace.
11. The quote on page 68 can be interpreted as the puritans lived and expected god to aid them, whereas the quakers lived, expecting to aid god.
12. Quakers used others to fight for them, electing non-quakers into power, and getting assistance from the british army. Ben Franklin was the one who originally came up with this idea.
1. a) Belief in equality seems to be a big thing in Quakerism which stresses the fact that “Liberty was the natural right of all men equally,” and that when men have too much power it is often misused and abused.
b) Unlike other religions there was more informality with in Quakerism. They were allowed to dress simpler and their language was more to the point and less flamboyant.
c) While the Puritans created a feeling of intolerance the Quakers believed all men were basically good and accepted any and all who lived peacefully and accepted there to be only one almighty God. They accepted people of all different sects and, unlike the Puritans, were more welcoming to the Indians.
d) Something rather surprisingly different about Quakerism was the belief in martyrdom. Quakers would travel through unmarked territory, through wilderness, and risk being killed by Indians for their Lord. They would go to all lengths to suffer for the Truth.
2. Several instances and accounts of the Quakers being pushed aside, abused, and rejected by the Puritans have been found in the new world where the Quakers came over as the minority in the first place. Surely the Puritans felt threatened by the Quakers for moving in on their own opportunity and for interfering with their plans at Zion and therefore enacted the death penalty against the Quakers. Still, accounts like the story of the Quaker martyr named Mary Dyer who was put to death for returning to Boston after being banished, shows another side of the Puritan’s treatment. When the day came that she was to be hung she was forced to watch two other men hanged and then prepared herself, only to be let go and banished once again. This account shows that while the Puritans didn’t take kindly to the Quakers moving in on their dreams they also remembered the abuse and unjust treatment of their own selves back in England.
4. Boorstin argues that Quakerism was best suited to become the dominate religion in America he believes that its formlessness and insistence on the person and not the community did it in. As well the fact that people like Mary Dyer and others dominated the religion with uncompromising goals and the possibility that they stayed to true to their own ideals caused their religion to never take a huge hold in America. The Quakers quickly became enforces of what they believed instead of people just following the Gospel.
5. The Quakers were faced with several problems in creating a government while still sticking so close to their religion and with the matter of oaths. The Quakers were apprehensive of taking and administering oaths because, like swearing, “…they were “idle words” for which men would answer on the Day of Judgment.” The Quakers stuck so fast to their gospel and orthodoxy they believed that oaths alone couldn’t turn a liar into a truthful man and that oaths themselves were futile and vicious. The Quakers thought that making a man swear he was going to tell the truth made it seem like he was already accused of being a liar. Because they stood by their ideals so strongly they became responsible for the testimony that is given today, which says that every man “solemnly promises to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” However, before the Quakers were able to influence this system of oaths they were not allowed to enter evidence into a criminal case (which meant that there was nothing a Quaker community could do against murder), holding public office, or becoming jurors, and there. When the Quakers were given an exception and allowed to take something similar to an oath to gain office, they were instead forced to give up their positions because having a Quaker in office that refused to administer oaths meant that everything they did became void. But, the Quakers were so absolute on taking and administering oaths, that suspects to a murder that had taken place in a mostly Quaker area were let go without a trial. As Boorstin put it, “It shows how zealous men might sacrifice the welfare and even the lives of their fellow men to the overweening purity of their own consciences.”
7. While the Quakers held more than two thirds of the Assembly of Pennsylvania and had ruled up until 1756 with few major problems, the issue of their pacifism ultimately did them in. Their refusal to defend their own colony against the French and English and to rather mix themselves up with the Indians began to quickly weaken their power. Money was sent to the Indians, who soon began warring against the colonies themselves, instead of to the non- Quaker Governor, and while large scale massacres threatened the colony of Pennsylvania the Quakers were doing nothing to prevent it. However, the “Friends” (the English Quakers) finally compelled the Quakers to withdraw from office. They didn’t want the Quakers to have to be blamed for all of the bloodshed, so they urged the President of the Privy Council to eventually allow the Quakers back into office just so long as they convinced the Quakers to actually step down. And after having successfully convinced the Quakers of withdrawal six members in the Assembly left office which ended the Quakers rule in America. (While they were allowed to come back into office they never did because holding office was looked down upon by much of the Quaker society after it became obvious that they could not rule and stick to their ideals, and the American Revolution went against their pacifist ideals)
10. When the Quakers described themselves as “Dissenters in our own country,” they were referring to their own isolation from other groups. A dissenter is someone who is rebellious and is nonconformist in nature, which fits what the Quaker’s ideals did to them. They lacked tolerance of other religions and were being quickly surrounded by Lutheran, Presbyterians, Methodists, and Catholics, and the fact that they were in the minority also attributed to their description. They were more concerned with perceiving the truth for themselves and staying pure than converting and influencing others.
12. With war between the French, English and Spanish increasing in the 17th and 18th centuries the Quakers were faced with the issue of sticking to their ideal of pacifism while defending their colony. However, just as before, the Quakers held strong to their ideals and decided to ignore and refuse funding for defending their colony from wars and massacres. Possibly what caused most of the Quakers problems was their willingness and complete faith in the Indians who they idealized. The Quakers sent money to the Iroquois tribe to try and befriend and aide them and were blind to the fact that the Indians in certain cases used to money to help them gain back more of their land by driving whole populations out of their towns and massacring inhabitants of the colony. However, when word came to the Quakers of the acts against their own people they didn’t send money to help defend the people and refugees, but instead urged for more fair treatment of the Indians. Starting to become horrified by the sight of “our frontier people continually butchered,” Benjamin Franklin organized a group of moderate Quakers and others to stop the constant meddling of the Quakers. When the majority of the Quakers stepped down in 1756 Ben Franklin’s group profited the most and began to work out the constant disputes with the Indians.
Due to the restrictions of a piddling 4,096 characters per comment, my responses for these questions will take three posts, for which I apologize.
1. Comment on each of the following Quaker philosophies:
a. Belief in equality
-The Quakers strong belief in the equality of all is perhaps the most impressive belief of them all, as it was far beyond it’s time, setting the mood for generations to come, which makes the rest of the populous, still dead set upon believing in white supremacy all the more foolish and outmoded.
b. Informality
-The belief in informality can perhaps be linked to that of equality, for with equality, you usually lose some formality, as when everyone is on equal footing, they need not emphasize their power or lack thereof by being formal.
c. Toleration
-Yet again, this belief heralded the mode of American thoughts not to hold the majority of people for hundreds of years, even assuming that people today are tolerant. The Quaker belief in Toleration again links back to that of equality, for if people are equal, then they deserve to be treated with respect, their beliefs tolerated, and so on. This is epitomized by the Quakers feelings towards Native Americans. Whilst almost all other groups were pushing the Native American’s outwards, expelling them, calling them evil and uncivilized, the Quakers instead found them to have similar religions, and welcomed them as equals.
d. Martyrdom
-Of the Quakers philosophies, this is the one that is the least apparent in modern-day society, that of the active quest of death in the name of their god. As with some other groups through time, they believed that to die with the “whole truth” was better than to have lived with only half, however, this alone does not show their tenacity and willingness… Nay, eagerness, to die for their causes. They did not merely struggle and fight against odds that came to them normally, instead they sought out strife, turmoil, trouble, and pain, allowing them to show their eagerness to die for their god, and to wear the crown of thorns that so gallantly showed the world that they had given their lives wholly and utterly to their one love, their liege lord, their god.
2. Why did the Puritans treat the Quakers so poorly (use as part of your explanation the experiences of Mary Dyer)?
-The reasons for the puritans abominable treatment of the Quakers can be put down to a few simple reasons: 1) The Quakers were disturbing the established order of Puritan settlements, coming in a preaching a different doctrine, challenging the very way of living in the colonies, and bringing confusion to the masses. And 2) The Quakers were unrelenting, and perhaps death was the only thing which could stop them- not because it would scare further Quakers to come, but because it would remove the ones already present. Mary Dyer is a keen example of their dedication and unrelenting manner even in the face of inevitable death, which, as previously discussed, was actually a boon to the Quaker’s eyes. After having been sentenced to death, and put through a mock hanging (though her two male companions were hung,) she was banished from the colony of Boston, on pain of death. This however, was no scare to Mary, who had willingly accepted her fate of death which had been so cruelly (to the Quaker view) deprived from her by their deceit. Possibly due to this fact, knowing that she would be given her martyrdom should she return, she did just that, less than a year after her expulsion from Boston. True to their word, the magistrates sentenced her to death, and again she expressed her joy at being taken from this existence, and being brought together with her god.
3. What was a characteristic of Quaker worship?
-As befits their main tenants, Quaker worship was characterized by informality, even to the point of silence, where practitioners would worship the lord without vocalizing their praise, merely holding their thoughts within.
4. According to Boorstin, why didn't Quakerism become the dominant religion in America?
-Though in many ways, the teachings and practices of Quakerism seem the perfect fit for ruling; tolerance, acceptance, equality and the like, it fell short in practice mainly due to it’s followers. As Boorstin points out, Quakers in Europe had never gained seats of power, and when they finally did gain such in America, they failed to apprehend the measures needed to assure a continuance of power, or of gaining more. The followers often found the old-ways and demanding practices to be too wearisome, and left to join the ranks of the Presbyterians or Episcopalians.
5. What problems arose of the Quakers in the "taking of oaths?"
-The Quakers believed that to swear on the lord to prove themselves to be telling naught but the truth in a court of law implied that all men were liars before such an oath was sworn. Similarly they thought that men who were liars would not become truthful men when given an oath, so they would refuse to swear them. This caused many problems in the court system, for neither defendants nor witnesses of Quaker belief would swear oaths in the court, meaning that they couldn’t testify, disturbing the established order of legal proceedings. Furthermore, when laws were passed, others who did not see fit to swear oaths were no longer legally bonded to do so, causing even more turmoil in courts.
6. What internal dilemmas did the Quakers face in their attempts to govern the colony?
-The largest issue of Quaker dogma getting in the way of ruling was their abhorrence of violence and belief in complete pacifism. Due to this pacifism, the Quakers could not take up arms against the French or Native Americans who wronged their countrymen, nor could they stand to serve out punishment to law-breakers. They attempted to appease their consciences by having the Deputy-Governor be a non-Quaker, but eventually they came to an impasse where they had to choose between their faith or their ruling Pennsylvania, and in 1756, their choice was made.
7. What happened to Quaker rule in 1756?
-In 1756, a group of Quakers broke off from the main party, their goal to remain in power by creating a peaceful solution to the Indian troubles of the time, obviously then, they still maintained the pacifism which characterized Quakerism. The issue with this attempt, though, was that they were still adhering to the same tenants which were causing so many issues for their brethren; along with a shift from a Quaker to Non-Quaker majority, many of the seats of office the Quakers held were relinquished.
8. List examples of Quaker legacies that can be witnessed by the 18th century.
-The insularism of Quakers, the attempts to codify their dogmas and remain the same for all time is a practice of Quakers remaining today that shows its roots- or early existence- in the 18th century.
9. What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he referred to Quakers as "Protestant Jesuits"?
-Just as the Jesuits, Quakers didn’t hold sense of Nationalism. Similarly, they were, as with the Jesuits with the Guarani, the Quakers were tolerant of all religions. Furthermore, both groups were more interested in their own beliefs and customs than that of their nations.
10. What is meant by the Quaker description of themselves as, "dissenters in their own country"?
-The Quakers description as being “dissenters in their own country” is quite an adequate one. Their radically different and strongly held beliefs alienated them from their nation, creating, in a sense their own little world.
11. See page 69 for an interesting quote.
Not only is there not an “interesting” quote on page 69, there isn’t a quote at all. However, there are two on pg 68, of which I found the one from Churchman to be more interesting. Basically his point is that the Quakers were virtually completely disinterested in anything outside of themselves and their faith, or that is not useful to them at a specific time, an example that he mentions being Algebra.
12. Although Quakers were pacifists, how did Quakers deal with the constant warfare that surrounded them, and what role did Benjamin Franklin play?
-The Quakers main method of dealing with warfare was to keep themselves apart from it. They would keep a Non-Quaker in the office of Deputy-Governor, and thus to their own minds, absolved themselves of any blame for the bloodshed. However, this is not necessarily a commonly held view; the Quakers inability to fund militia to deal with the Indian massacres led to the deaths of hundreds of non-Quakers, for which the blame falls solely upon the religious restrictions upon the Quakers which makes them unfit for governance. Benjamin Franklin played the often crucial role in such a power struggle of the middleman. He pulled votes and support from both the less orthodox Quaker contingency as well as the Quakers opponents.
Same issue as Shane.
1.
a) The Quakers believed in absolute and universal equality, with sex, race or religion having no meaning in the determination of one's natural rights.
b) The Quakers shunned formality in clothing and how they spoke and were thoroughly unceremonious in their actions.
c) The Quakers believed all were essentially good and equal, and were therefore very tolerent of other religions, accepting anyone who believed in one Almighty God. They even observed similarities between Indian religion and their own.
2. The Quakers, being non-Puritans, were shunned by the Puritans when they began arriving in Massachussetts Bay, as the Puritans had no tolerence or patience for anyone whose doctrine differed even slightly from their own. The Quakers of Massachussetts Bay were repeatedly punished, and when they kept arriving, began being persecuted by the Puritans. However, the Quakers were persistent, and kept returning, seeking to be martyred. Mary Dyer was repeatedly banished without being martyred, and kept returning until they finally hanged her, which was the fate she wanted, pronouncing her joy at her fate on the day of her execution.
3. Quaker worship was characterized by their silent worship, where they believed they didn't need spoken words to communicated their prayers to God.
4. The Quaker religion was good in theory: equality, toleration and freedom of religion (in that it wasn't strict). However, in application, the Quakers failed in creating an effective government and began becoming an isolated society, who strayed from what they initially believed (that rules and formality would impede the Truth) to being the strictest enforcers of laws and 'building a wall around itself'.
5. The Quakers believed that nobody should swear on the Lord and therefore refused to take oaths, which became an issue because English courts would consider Quaker 'affirmations' as null and void testimonies. The Quakers also could not take government seats because they would not swear an oath. This was also an issue with crime in Pennsylvannia as Quaker witnesses could not testify in the trials because they wouldn't take an oath.
6. The Quaker doctrine of pacifism was crippling to them. They could not defend themselves, or punish infringers with execution, and their opposition of war in the New World made easy enemies of other settlers. The Quakers believed that all issues would be settled by the Lord and therefore did not lift a hand to help themselves. The government of Pennsylvannia had to consistently seat a non-Quaker to avoid being attacked and not defended.
7. In 1756, Pennsylvania government turned being mostly dominated by Quakers to having Quaker representation as a minority of the seats. Also, Quaker rule split to deal with the growing conflict with Indians, however, the group that split did not rescind their rule of pacifism and thus were wholly ineffective in dealing with the conflict, and only served to meddle with Quaker-Indian relations.
8. The most important Quaker legacy was their humanitarianism and belief in equality of all people. They worked to end slavery, and to better conditions in asylums and prisons and hospitals.
9. Jefferson meant that the Quakers were much more devoted to their religion than they were loyal to their country or fellow people, thus not having a sense of nationalism that most others in the New World did.
10. The Quakers called themselves dissenters in their own country because near the end of the 18th century, the Quakers became a minority religion in Pennsylvannia due to the flood of other religions into the state, and therefore could no longer control the means Pennsylvannia employed to defend itself, which usually were violent. Therefore, the Quakers lost control of the colony they founded, and protested its new use of violence, which never occured under the Quakers.
11. The quote on page 68 shows that where Puritans respond to the barber that perhaps 'God was the greatest algebrist' because Puritans believed every path lead to God, and show an intellectual interest in the subject, the Quaker refuses pursue it and instead self-righteously and rather blindly refers back to his devotion to God in an area where God could not be inferred.
12. The Quakers managed to maintain pacifism in warlike times by stepping aside and letting others fight, a policy suggested by Benjamin Franklin. The Quakers elected non-Quaker government officials to make the descisions and allow the British Army to fight for them, thus remaining pacifists and being violently protected at the same time.
Quakers
1.
a. The Quakers believed in complete equality for all people even including African and Turk slaves.
b. The Quakers believed in simplicity in their dress and language. They also opposed official ceremonies. The reason is unknown but I can guess that they felt that there was no point in attempting to impress God.
c. The Quakers were extremely tolerant due to their belief in equality and thought all people were essentially good. They accepted all sects.
d. The Quakers were consistently focused on martyrdom and always wanted hardship in order to prove they loved God and would take on their own “crown of thorns”. These proclamations of faith were strived for by Quakers.
2. The intolerance of the Puritans led to their ill treatment of the Quakers. However, it was provoked by the obsession and persistence of the Quakers to come to Massachusetts, intentionally make the Puritans mad, and not stop till they received a punishment in the name of God. Mary Dyer specifically came to New England, multiple times, in the hopes of receiving her “crown of thorns” and annoyed the Puritans so much that they therefore executed her. So to say the Puritans treated the Quakers poorly is true but justified to a point.
3. Quaker worship was extremely simplistic and casual. Silence became a key part to worship and it became more spontaneous.
4. Quakerism did not become the dominant religion of America because the group did not have stable political control and it just did not work for the people. Although there was tolerance and equality and many good things there were also many issues such as the debate of oaths taking and pacifism that really drew people back from religion and the problems it created for government and law-keeping and discipline.
5. The Quakers believed it was wrong to take oaths and this led to many problems. First, England and its system of law relied on oaths on court to ensure honest testimonies and decision-making on cases. For the Quakers this became an issue because the question of trust arose. If a person did not swear were they still telling the whole truth? This God ordered belief against oath taking also slowed down the legal system in Pennsylvania and created controversy over the subject.
6. The Quakers believed in a strong institution of pacifism, which became an internal dilemma for the colonies. This thinking greatly opposed the system in England and created more issues with capital punishment, oath-taking, and protection for example from Indian massacres. Also, a difference of opinion rose in these communities as non-Quakers spoke up against the Quakers in plea of protection and he need for criminal punishment.
(Part 1 Taylor Oster 2009)
7. In 1756 as Indian massacres increased, a shift to a non-Quaker majority occurred, and a branch of Quakers in W. PA split in attempts to deal with the Indian problem. However, once again pacifism led to little effectiveness in dealing with this issue and only led to more Quakers dropping out of office.
8. A few Quaker legacies of the 18th century are: the first American movements against slavery and the slave-trade, the building of hospitals, and “humanizing” prisons and insane-asylums within their communities.
9. Thomas Jefferson’s blunt remark when referring to the Quakers as “Protestant Jesuits”, means that the Quakers would sooner disregard their mother-country and political ties than desert their beliefs and connections to God.
10. The Quakers became “dissenters in their own country” because the community they had established became flooded by Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Catholics. They became the minority and this brought many changes to their society.
11. Quote on page 68. This quote describes a typical Quaker belief that it is more important to study and apply god’s word then to spend your time learning math and science which is important to some people but not to those dedicated to the Lord’s teachings.
12. Quakers to avoid the warfare around them often found people to fight the battles for them. This was encouraged by Benjamin Franklin who established policies that would define the true Quaker pacifist against the fighters. The people were free to maintain pacifism or let others fight for them such as the British or non-Quakers.
Taylor Oster 2009
(Part2)
1. Comment on each of the following Quaker philosophies:
a. Belief in equality
The Quaker’s belief in the basic equality of all regardless of race or gender most definitely would have influenced the thinking of such founding fathers as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and the like and would set the precedence for political equality in the years to come.
b. Informality
The lack of formality may not necessarily be a Quaker only philosophy; rather, what with the rigors of colonial life, informality was widespread throughout the English colonies of America. One does not regularly go to balls whilst on the frontiers of an empire.
c. Toleration
One cannot have a belief in equality with out a belief of toleration, they are forever linked together, and this dual attitude of equality and tolerance would influence the thinking of the founding fathers. However, the Quakers were not fully tolerant considering how many Martyrs they sent northward to unsettle the affairs of the Puritans.
d. Martydom
2. Why did the Puritans treat the Quakers so poorly (use as part of your explanation the experiences of Mary Dyer)?
The reasons why the Puritans looked down upon the Quakers is legion. Perhaps the Puritans viewed the Quakers as weak what with the Quakers’ pacifism. Perhaps the Puritans felt threatened by the Quakers, what with all the Quaker martyrs that were sent northward to stir up trouble with their preaching. Perhaps prejudices, which were felt in England, were carried over to the Americas. It’s anyone’s guess.
3. What was a characteristic of Quaker worship?
The Quaker form of worshipping God upheld every facet of the tenets of equality, informality, and toleration. Unlike the Puritans of the north (and far-flung from the rigid rituals of Catholicism) Quakerism did not require the institutions of a preacher. Rather, each individual Quaker was a priest unto himself, able to worship God on the individual level and without the need for a single word to be spoken.
4. According to Boorstin, why didn't Quakerism become the dominant religion in America?
Primarily due to the religion’s inherent pacifism; one cannot be a pacifist whilst on a frontier where one could be killed any day by, either, a Native raid or a rival imperial power’s invasion. Animosity towards the Quakers quickly grew among settlers as the death toll on the western frontier of Pennsylvania continually mounted.
5. What problems arose of the Quakers in the "taking of oaths?"
Quaker theology held that not a single one of the Ten Commandments was to be broken (Among these “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” i.e. lying.) The implication of the oath was that all men were liars before the oath was taken, thus a Quaker who was testifying had broken that commandment and was to be damned to Hell. Rather than say that they were liars by taking an oath they simply refused to take it, implying that they were sinless.
6. What internal dilemmas did the Quakers face in their attempts to govern the colony?
Whilst the Quakers were in control of the colony of Pennsylvania, they were continually confronted with Native insurrection and raids along the western frontier resulting in the deaths of many Irish and German settlers. As the death toll continued to mount, the settlers of that area continually petitioned the government to raise a militia to protect themselves, but the Quaker run government continually denied the petition until Benjamin Franklin was able to persuade them to step down from power.
7. What happened to Quaker rule in 1756?
Though the Quakers in charge of the colony did their best to quell the insurrections along the western frontier, their best attempts failed miserably as the death tolls and anger towards the colonial government continued to grow. They were eventually removed from power as Quakers lost their legislative seats to non-Quakers.
8. List examples of Quaker legacies that can be witnessed by the 18th century.
The tenets of equality of all, the tolerance of all, and informality, which Quakerism had put forth, can still be seen today in American political/religious thought.
9. What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he referred to Quakers as "Protestant Jesuits"?
The Jesuits are known for their scholarly knowledge of the Bible and Christianity, as well as for their pacifism, and their willingness to go to uncharted/hostile areas in an attempt to set up missions and gain converts. In this respect the Quakers and the Jesuits are nearly identical, except one is Catholic and the other is Protestant.
10. What is meant by the Quaker description of themselves as, "dissenters in their own country"?
The Quakers were described this way because they differed with their countrymen on so many different issues: from war to equality from religion to tolerance, they were different from many other colonial peoples in numerous ways.
11. See page 69 for an interesting quote.
“…the Quakers made a dogma of the absence of dogma. It was a primar article of their creed that a true Christian could have no creed.” (69) Boorstin interprets this to mean that “The Quaker was haunted by fear that every compromise was a defeat, that to modify anything might be to lose everything.” I disagree, a religion without a dogma whose primary concern is just the goodness of men would; rather than establish an extremely conservative or reactionary religion; establish a rather liberal and more liberating religion.
12. Although Quakers were pacifists, how did Quakers deal with the constant warfare that surrounded them, and what role did Benjamin Franklin play?
Benjamin Franklin was able to rally support from Non-Quakers and less than orthodox Quakers in order to get enough votes to gently remove the Quakers from legislative power and raise a militia to stop the bloodshed on the western frontier.
1. a. The Quaker’s belief in the equality of everyone, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or other factors is particularly impressive, especially since this adamant belief in equality was hardly seen in other Christian denominations at the time. Equality is still an issue today, and the fact that the Quakers thought so highly of the concept centuries ago speaks very highly of them.
b. The Quaker’s belief in informality and simplicity is in accordance with their belief in equality, as it seems that class-based traditions and ornamentation are more ways of creating inequality between groups.
c. Again, the Quaker’s practice of tolerating other denominations of Christianity follows their belief of equality, and also shows how forward thinking they were compared to other Christian denominations of the time, one obvious example being the Puritans, who were actively intolerant and unwilling to accept other views.
d. The Quaker urge to suffer physical pain and torment in the name of their religion is not an altogether unique incidence, as throughout history there have been other examples of martyrdom. Regardless, it is still an interesting psychological occurrence, and would be interesting to do a study on, though doubtless the research has already been conducted.
2. It does not seem at all out of nature for the Puritans, who sent away members of their own society because of religious disagreements, to altogether not want Quakers in their society. The case of Mary Dyer being sentenced to death, but then reprieved at the last minute against her wishes, is an example of the Puritans wishing that the Quakers would simply stay away, and attempting to make a precedent out of Mary Dyer so that other Quakers would not try to come to Puritan New England.
3. Originally, Quakerism prided itself on being spontaneous and unbounded by formal restraints or denominational boundaries, but as time progressed, these traits that separated Quakers from other Christians, became dominating and just as assertive as the other customs they had originally been trying to protest. Some of these traits include keeping one’s hat on, wearing plain, drab clothes, silence as a means of worship, and traditions concerning marriage and funerals and linguistics.
4. Boorstin claims Quakerism didn’t become a dominant religion in America because Quaker belief in its original version, one of formlessness and mysticism, left very little structure or capability for community building, unlike Puritan belief and society. When Quakerism became more strict and secluded, it became uncompromising to the rest of the world in its customs and traditions, and thereby much more cut off and secluded from the world.
5. Taking oaths went against the Quaker’s literalist interpretation of the Bible, and so when they found themselves in governmental positions in Pennsylvania, would not swear oaths and did not require others to do so either. This led to question from non-Quakers who also lived in Pennsylvania, who doubted the integrity of someone who did not actually take an oath. Also, Quakers were not able to give evidence or testify in court.
6. The Quakers found that the successful governing of a colony meant the compromise of their fundamental beliefs and stances. One instance of a conflict between English law and Quaker belief was the oath, which not only brought about struggle between Quakers and non-Quakers, but also within the Quaker group, as is shown by complaints against William Penn that he had not secured exemption for Quakers for not saying oaths. Also, this struggle over oaths went over for a while, causing long lasting tensions and unease within Pennsylvania. Another compromise of their beliefs occurred during the Act of 1718, in which the Quakers secured their entitlement not to say oaths by allowing capital punishment to exist. They therefore saved a portion of their own morality while allowing people to be killed for crimes smaller than murder or treason.
7. In 1756, 6 Quakers abdicated from the Pennsylvania Assembly. This was not just a gesture, but because of it the Quaker Yearly Meeting ultimately lost most of their previous political power. This abdication was due to the growing unpopularity of the Quakers. Pennsylvanians were urging for defense against Native American groups, as well as the Spanish and French, which the Quakers blindly refused to allow because of their ideas of pacifism.
8. As Quakers lost political power, they turned inward to their own Society of Friends and focused on improving their own communities, as well as the communities of others, to some degree. They actively participated in movements against slavery, they helped in building hospitals, such as the Philadelphia Lying-In Hospital, and making jails and insane asylums bearable.
9. Thomas Jefferson called Quakers “Protestant Jesuits” because the Quakers did not have any ties of nationalism or sense of duty to the current country they were in, but instead were a secluded sect, cared primarily about their own Society, and reported to their mother society in England.
10. The Quakers are referring to the fact that although they were the first to settle Pennsylvania, many other groups and denominations had since moved in, so that the Quakers were now a minority. Because the Quakers’ beliefs in pacifism were not held throughout the rest of Pennsylvania, and others were using violence to defend themselves, the Quakers found themselves dissenting to the methods used by people in the Quaker’s own country.
11. This quote shows the extreme practicality of Quakers, in that the Quaker, John Churchman, finds it useless that the barber is studying algebra, seeing as no algebra is required to be a barber. It also demonstrates the religiousness of Quakers, as Churchman ultimately found his own study of his faith and wish to be presentable before God as more important than any other studies.
12. The Quakers avoided going against their pacifist beliefs by having non-Quakers be in governmental positions that had to make decisions regarding defense. However, they often were simply blind to the need for violence, and ignored reports of settlers in the west being attacked. Benjamin Franklin suggested that the Quakers step down from their governmental positions and allow someone to govern who would provide defense against the ongoing warfare.
test*
1. Comment on each of the following Quaker philosophies:
a. Belief in equality
The Quakers believed that all men were truly equal, not matter where they were born or what color their skin was.
b. Informality
The Quakers believed that since everyone was equal, there was no need for formality.
c. Toleration
The Quakers thought that everyone deserved to be trweated with dignity and respect. This belief tied in with thier belief that everyone was equal, and therefore all desrved to have their beliefs treated equally.
d. Martydom
The Quakler belief that to die spreading the word of god, is similar to that of other religions. They believed that if they were not punished for spreading the word of their god, then they weren't doing their jobs.
2. Why did the Puritans treat the Quakers so poorly (use as part of your explanation the experiences of Mary Dyer)?
The Quakers were treated so poorly by the puritans because it was their belif that the colonies were their's, with theexception of Pennsylvania, and that the Quakers should nto need to spread their faith, or leave their own colony.
3. What was a characteristic of Quaker worship?
A charecteristic of Quaker worship is informality, which lead them to praise their god in silence.
4. According to Boorstin, why didn't Quakerism become the dominant religion in America?
Boorstin states that Quakerism didn't become the dominant religion n America because the times were too hostile. Puritans were the dominant group at the time, and they restricted the Quaker movements and expansion. The colonies were created for the puritans, and the Quakers were seen as an encroachment upon Puritan land. Another reason that Quakerism did not become the dominant religion, was that the world at the time was almost singularly run by some for of hierarchy. With the Quaker bekief in equaltiy, there would be no ruling class, which was a concept unheard of in the old world.
5. What problems arose of the Quakers in the "taking of oaths?"
The problems that arose for the Quakers in "Taking the Oaths" were that Quakers refused to either swear or acknowledge oaths made in court, which proved to be an issue when a QUaker man or oman was called upon as a witness in a court.
6. What internal dilemmas did the Quakers face in their attempts to govern the colony?
The dilemma which the Quakers faced in governing their colony were numerous. One reason was definately that the native Americans took advantage of the fact of Quaker pacifism by invading the colony, without fear of retribution.
7. What happened to Quaker rule in 1756?
In 1756 a group of Quakers atempted to seek a peaceful resolution with the natives and the french. However their stuborness in refusing to abandon their own beliefs was the vey root of the problem.
8. List examples of Quaker legacies that can be witnessed by the 18th century.
Their Quaker limitation of their own ways and need to remain unirormly the same at all times wer lagacies the were seen in the 18th century.
9. What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he referred to Quakers as "Protestant Jesuits"?
Thomas Jefferson was refering to the similarities between the Quaker beliefs and Jesuit beliefs in tolerance and acceptance of those who were different from themselves. This belief had gotten both groups into trouble in the colonies and was seen a problemm by both the Protestants and Catholics.
10. What is meant by the Quaker description of themselves as, "dissenters in their own country"?
This desciption means that the Quakers had gone to the new world and established their own colony, but the were seen as outsiders in their own lands. The were also seen as dissenters by the puritans.
11. See page 69 for an interesting quote.
The quote on page 68 is that of a churchman who tells of why he chose a life devoted ti his god rather than one of a scholar or a worker.
12. Although Quakers were pacifists, how did Quakers deal with the constant warfare that surrounded them, and what role did Benjamin Franklin play?
The way that Quakeras chose to deal with warfare was to ignore it, and let other, non-Quakers take care of the political ramifications, most notibly the deputy governor. Benjamin Franklin played the role of brigdeing the gap between the Quakers and the non-Quakers.
1. a. Belief in equality- The Quakers strongly believed in equality for everyone even slaves. They believed it to be a natural right of all men. This belief is different from all others because all other colonists believed in white supremacy.
b. Informality- The Quakers believed in simple dress and speech and opposed ceremonies. I think this in ways made life easier as well; they could focus on surviving instead of upon earning excess things.
c. Toleration- Toleration goes hand in hand with equality; without toleration you can’t have equality. As long as the person said and showed that they believed in a one almighty god then they could join the colony. While the Puritans believed that the Natives were the devil incarnate the Quakers saw how similar their belief systems were and found fascination in it and saw them as equals.
d. Martyrdom- The Quakers seeked this. The pursued and always looked for hardship so that they could prove to others how much they loved God. They wanted to be like Jesus and go through the pain and suffering. “To die for the whole truth than live with a half truth” was how the men and women lived.
2. First off the Puritans treated the Quakers so poorly because they were single-minded and rejected any other way of doing things. It was their way or the highway. They also wanted to pursue their recreation of Zion by themselves without others getting in the way which the Quakers were very good at doing. The Quakers wanted the punishment that the Puritans gave them so they actually went to the places Puritans were. For example Mary Dyer left her husband in Newport and went to Boston. She was banished and if she came back she would be put to death. She only went back to Newport for a time before going back to Boston, put on trial, and was supposed to be hung but they denied her her joy of it by reprieving the sentence. She said she would not accept it unless they changed the law completely but they just sat her on a horse and sent her back to Rhode Island. She persisted and again came back this time she was hung. As you can see the Quakers wanted to be martyrs it was an honor, almost like how it is for Muslims.
3. A characteristic of Quaker worship was to be silent. They did not believe that words were necessary to communicate prayers to God.
4. The reason that Quakerism did not become the dominant faith in America according to Boorstin is because they started to be identified as a peculiar people because of their contempt for rank. Their contempt for rank made them themselves establish a dogma that became as rigid as the ones they tried to avoid. Also they did not try to spread their faith like the other sects, and as they became more uncompromising to others the Puritans went in the opposite direction and became more so. Also the formlessness of it and the mysticism and the insistence of personal purity turned people away from it.
5. The Quakers interpreted that the Bible said to never swear upon the lord or at all in the words of Jesus and James. Because of this they would not take an oath in court on the Bible which then slowed the legal process in Pennsylvania because key witnesses would be Quakers and they could not use them unless they were under oath. To take care of this they came up with people solemnly promising to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
6. One of the internal dilemmas that Quakers came upon was the fact that they practiced pacifism. This conflicted with the necessity of defense. They found that not only could they not defend themselves without violence, but that they also could not punish offenders of the law without violence, so pacifism had a crippling effect on the Pennsylvania government and they were forced to try to seat a non-Quaker as an attempt to avoid this dilemma. Only Thomas Lloyd was a Quaker “Deputy –Governor” from the founding of the colony to 1756.
~Rebecca Harkness
7. In 1756 the Quakers came upon problems with the Natives through the French and English. The other problem was that they still wanted to practice pacifism so they could not war with them, instead they had people go and attempt to make peace with the groups this did not work. Quakers had even paralyzed the government due to England’s war with France and Spain over the colonies because they were pacifists and did not want to take part in it. They ended up losing representatives in government.
8. Quaker legacies in the 1700’s include their neutral stance during the Revolution, their attempts to codify the doctrine, and remaining mainly the same with the world changing drastically around them. They also increased the movement against slavery and the slave trade, built hospitals, and made prisons and insane asylums more humane.
9. When Jefferson called the Quakers “Protestant Jesuits” he meant that both the Quakers and Jesuits would only follow God and not a country. Also both gave the country a crick in the neck when it came to Natives and their wellbeing because they would stand up against the government.
10. What is meant by Quakers being "dissenters in their own country" is that even in their own state they are seen as people who have split from “proper” doctrine in the eyes of the other sects in the area. The term dissenter, whose Latin root means to disagree, is just that. It is all the sects that split from the churches of England and Whales because they disagree about something. The Quakers disagreed with just about everybody on some level.
11. In the last paragraph on page 69 the quote contradicts itself repetitively. It says that the Quakers made a Dogma to have an absence of dogma and a creed that a true Christian should have no creed. In this they are saying that they are not true Christians because they have a creed even though that creed is saying that a true Christian should not have a Creed. It is the same with having a Dogma to have no Dogma.
12. The Quakers dealt with war surrounding them by electing non-Quakers to power so that no Quaker would have to make a decision that would go against their pacifist beliefs. This also followed Benjamin Franklin’s thoughts that you should have other’s fight your battle so you don’t get caught in them. Franklin also played a key middle man role for them by helping them in government and such.
~Rebecca Harkness
1. a) total equality between everyone
b) led a simple life, who cares what your clothes look like
c) They had a high toleration for all people, like Rebecca said you have to if you believe in total equality.
d)many quakers commited martydrom by speaking out against the puritans. They were happy to die for God though
2. The purtans treated the quakers so poorly largly because theu were not Puritans. Mary Dyer was killed because she was a quaker and not a puritan
3. Silence or silent worship was part of Quaker worship
4.Quakerism did not become domintant because it had issues with its leaders. Another posible reason is that they wanted everything to be perfecr which is just about impossible.
5. Quakers did not believe in taking oaths but instead the court allowed for them to take/make and affirmation in place of an oath.
6. Their belief in pacisifism made governing much more difficult. Another issue like the Puritans that they faced was the distribution of power. James Logan reported that governing was "ill-fitted to their principals." (59)
7. in 1759 a group of quakers split from the majority with a goal of solving the problems with the natives. After the split though they did not drop their beliefs so things went unchanged
8. Some quaker legacies would be that of their belief in martydom and the extreme pacisifism along with the beliefs in equality. These are all parts of quakerism (is this even a word) that will never be forgotten.
9. Jefferson could have been referring to many different things but one large one could be how both were similiar in their tolerance of others. ex: natives.
10. It is meant that they were becoming the minority.
11. Quote on 68
12. The quakers did their best to not get invloved with the other warfare going on. Another way to deal with if for them was to get non-quakers to do it. Benjamin Franklin wanted to them to fight for themseles though
1. Comment on each of the following Quaker philosophies:
A)Belief in equality
No other chrstian belief was more pursuing for belief in equality than the Quakers
B)Informality
The quakers way of life was simple in general. They kept there language in America, and dress simply.
C)Toleration
The Quakers were very tolerant people. They saw good in everyone.
D)Martydom
The Quakers were willing to be punished if it was for their God.
2.Why did the Puritans treat the Quakers so poorly (use as part of your explanation the experiences of Mart Dyer)
The reason why the Puritans looked down on the Quakers, is because the Quakers were teaching a different religion inside of Puritan colonies. THis caused the Puritans to feel that the quakers have no right to be there because the Puritans had come very far since they got there. The Quakers also did not comprimise either. So the Puritans set uo laws that got rid of Quakers or it killed them. For example, the story of Mary Dyer. In the story she preach in a Puritan colony and was almost put to death. Instead though the Puritans banished her. Then she came back and preach again. Then the puritans killed her.
3. What was a characterist of Quaker Worship?
Informality is a characteristic of Quaker worship.
4.According to Boorstin, why didn't Quakerism Become the dominant religion in America?
The Quakers did not become the dominate religion in America because of the way they structures their religion and government. It sounds like the perfect religion but it was not practiced right in the Americas. Another reason is because the Puritans already were the domintaing religious groop inside America.
5.What problems arose of the Quakers in the "taking of oaths?"
Oaths became problems for quakers in goverment posistions because it was against their religion to take an oath. This cause many problems in the British legal system because the british relied on oaths for when people are placed in a goverment position. This caused non Quakers to question what the Quakers did while in the goverment position.
6. What internal dilemmas did the Quakers Face in their attempts to govern the colony?
The Quakers had problems governing there colony because they were very tolerant and they belfieved in pacifism. This was bad because that means any punishments that Quakers ade were none violent and did not send a message the the person being punished. So what this did was cause alot of people to cause trouble inside of Pennsylvania.
7. What happened to Quaker rule in 1756?
In 1756, some quakers left their goverment inorder to stop the conflict that was going on with the indians. When this did not work most quakers were removed from power and were replaced by non-quakers.
8. List examples of Quaker legacies that can be witnessed by the 18th century.
Some legacies are their pacifism. For example, how they always stay neutral. Another is how obsessed they were with martydom. For example, the story of Mary Dyer.
9.What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he referred to Quakers as "Prtestand Jesuits"?
What Thomas Jefferson ment by this is that the Quakers are more loyal to their religion, then the country they are living in.
10. What is ment by the Quaker description of themselves as, "dissenters in their own country"?
What the Quakers mean by this is that they are rejectingall the other religious churches that aren't theirs. So they became the minority and did not really participate in anything but their religion.
11. See Page 96 for an interesting quote. I didnt see anything interesting on page 69, but there are quotes on page 68.
12. Although Quakers were pacifists, how did Quakers deal with the constant warfare that surrounded them, and what role did Benjamin Franklin play?
What the Quakers did during warfare was to mostly let the world resolve it on its own ir they would set up peace talks. What Franklin did was give the idea of getting others to do the fighting and not the Quakers.
1. a)the Quakers were very adament in their belief in the need for equality.
b)The Quakers believed in the only the basic necessities and simplicity.
c)The Quakers were felt the need to be very tolerant of diversity but also held to their own christian beliefs.
d)The Quakers held martyrdom in the highest regard and Boorstins points to this as one of their fatal flaws.
2.The Puritans were hesitant to accept the term martyr for the Quakers. In the case of Mary Dyer, they were also hesitant to act directly against them.
3. Quaker worship consists of a strict code against violence, several 'meetings' were prayer and worship take place, and were adamant against the swearing of oaths which led to a severe strain among the Quakers and the Crown.
4.Boorstin believed that one of the Quakers fatal flaw and their fall in America was their emphasis on martyrdom. Many people were understandably, uncomfortable with this practice and not as willing as some of the Quakers would have liked. Also the Quakers were an obsessive group when it came to the purification of their own souls.
5. the Quakers refused to take oaths which caused a rift between them and the Crown. understandably, this caused the Crown worry that the Quakers refused to swear devotion, but in time the Quaker officials won the right to refuse to take an oath but still be under the Crowns rule.
6. The main moral dilemma that the Quakers faced consisted of their dedication to pacifism. When, as a ruler, you are devoted to non-violence in all forms, it becomes very difficult to enforce any rules or laws on your people.
7. in 1756, the Quakers rule underestimated the grievances of the Indians and it led to a massacre that ran rampant across Pennsylvania. if the Quakers had any foresight into the outcomes of their actions, they would have paid more attention to the Indians request and stayed away from encroaching on their lands and the massacre would not have happened.
8.Some legacies i have seen take shape by the 18th century were how inadequate the Quakers seem to be at ruling. Because they are so unyielding in their moral doctrine, their pacifism almost ruined their govern-ship. and their opinions about oaths caused a lot of friction. and later, the way they handled the situation with the Indians all showed how they seemed unsuited to ruling.
9. Jefferson could be refering to the emphasis on education the Jesuits had as well as the Quakers. also, the protestant part shows how the Quakers were the 'Jesuits of the Protestants' in similar doctrine and behavior.
10. the Quakers felt they stood out in the New World because of their interesting and new ideas about governing, life, morality, and their religious views.
11. (69) "The Quakers made a dogma in the absence of dogma." this points toward how the Quakers made their own way in the New World and were a new sect of an old religion, paving their own way. this shows how they had to start from scratch to build their religion from the ground up.
12. while Benjamin Franklin brought some Quakers into his democratic party, the Quaker extremists were in opposition to him. this brought a rift within the Quakers. In response to violence, the Quakers were content to let others act out against violence. Ben Franklin was one of the original orchestrator of this thought process of letting others help the Quakers.
Caroline Rynn
a. The Quakers believed in equality between all people, religions and ethnicity. They believed that liberty was a natural right for all.
b. The Quakers believed the simpler, the better. They completely opposed formality and I think they saw it as very unimportant.
c. The Quakers believed everyone was good in one way or another.
d. The Quakers were happy to die spreading God's word and thought very highly of martyr done.
2. The Puritans looked down on the Quakers because of the religion they had taught was different than that of the religion taught by the Puritans within their own colonies. The Puritans felt invaded because they had done too much work and come too far and then the Quakers came along.
3. Quaker worship consisted of strong informailty.
4. The Puritans had already begun to dominate most of the America's with their religion and Puritans and Quakers already didn't mesh too well.
5. Quakers did not believe in taking oaths, whereas the British depended on taking oaths in government when someone is newly placed in a position in the government.
6. The Quakers' pacifism caused problems because when someone has committed a crime, their punishments were too lenient and the rest of the government had problems with this,
7. Some Quakers in the government left their positions in hopes of stopping problems with Indians, however, it didn't work. Other Quakers were then were removed.
8. Legacies of the Quakers would be their strong belief in informality, pacifism, and martyrdom.
9. Thomas Jefferson means that the Quakers were much more devoted to their religion than much else ie: their own country.
10. The Quakers focused on their religion and ONLY their religion. Anything that didn't have anything to do with theirs shouldn't be brought to attention.
11. "The Quaker was haunted but fear that every compromise was a defeate, that to modify anything might be to lose everything."
a. Belief in equality
~Everyone is equal, contrary to the beliefs of the times
b. Informality
~Informality was more real, and so the dressed more common and spoke a common tongue
c. Toleration
~All people are good, or have good in they and should be treated like that
d. Martydom
~The Quakers believed one way to heaven was to suffer for their God
2. Why did the Puritans treat the Quakers so poorly (use as part of your explanation the experiences of Mary Dyer)?
~The Puritans didn’t understand non-Puritan ideals so the non-Puritan Quakers were persecuted and hung. Mary Dyer was an example of how it increased the Quakers’ want of Martydom as she went to Massachusetts for the sake of being persecuted.
3. What was a characteristic of Quaker worship?
~Quaker worship was a personal thing, silent prayer and very informal, they tried to keep it close to themselves and God
4. According to Boorstin, why didn't Quakerism become the dominant religion in America?
~Because when put into practice Quakerism never works quite like it was intended to and so it never fully took over.
5. What problems arose of the Quakers in the "taking of oaths?"
~Quakers could not take oaths as to them it was a sin so when judicial systems required them to take oaths they could not.
6. What internal dilemmas did the Quakers face in their attempts to govern the colony?
~Since Quakers are pacifists they could not defend themselves, and they could not persecute criminals.
7. What happened to Quaker rule in 1756?
~In 1756 a group of Quakers left to try and convert some of the native Indians to pacifism, but this failed and they had to retreat from their attempts.
8. List examples of Quaker legacies that can be witnessed by the 18th century.
~Quakers worked to end slavery, and better conditions in places like hospitals and asylums because of their ideals that everyone was equal.
9. What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he referred to Quakers as "Protestant Jesuits"?
~He meant that Quakers were much more dedicated to their religion than they were to their country and so they lacked a sense of nationalism.
10. What is meant by the Quaker description of themselves as, "dissenters in their own country"?
~When other religions flooded into Pennsylvania, Quakers became a minority and being the only pacifists they were overwhelmed by violence and other things they could not deal with, even in their own colony.
11. See page 69 for an interesting quote.
~This quote shows the difference between Puritans and Quakers such as how Puritans expected aid from God but Quakers expected to aid God.
12. Although Quakers were pacifists, how did Quakers deal with the constant warfare that surrounded them, and what role did Benjamin Franklin play?
~Ben Franklin came up with the idea to elect non-Quakers into power so they could use others to fight for them, like the British army from whom they got help.
1. Comment on each of the following Quaker philosophies:
a. Belief in equality
Every man is equal, not just white men. That caused many problems because most of the world didn't see it their way.
b. Informality
There was no formality at all in Quaker society. There was no need for formality in Quaker life and to be such would be a waste of time.
c. Toleration
For one of the first times, a Christian denomination saw people as inherently "good". They were very tolerate of other groups of people because of this.
d. Martydom
They felt they needed to be punished for God. They made many trips into uncharted lands that the Indians held to risk their lives for their Lord.
2. Why did the Puritans treat the Quakers so poorly (use as part of your explanation the experiences of Mary Dyer)?
The Puritans didn't understand the Quakers as much as they could have and they treated them as any other group that was "Non-puritan". Their punishment was very brutal. In the case of Mary Dyer, she had to go back multiple times to finally receive her gift of being hanged.
3. What was a characteristic of Quaker worship?
Compared to other Christian denominations, Quaker worship was very informal and very quiet.
4. According to Boorstin, why didn't Quakerism become the dominant religion in America?
Boorstin believes that Quakerism doesn't become a major american religion because it was content with not recruiting others into the faith aswell as it was too tolerant and informal.
5. What problems arose of the Quakers in the "taking of oaths?"
The Quakers never swore on the Lord's name and they were thrown out as witnesses because they wouldn't swear the truth. They basically couldn't become a person of high position in England.
6. What internal dilemmas did the Quakers face in their attempts to govern the colony?
7. What happened to Quaker rule in 1756?
It was essential nulled. They refused to serve in the multiple wars England was fighting, but finally in 1756 the war reached them. They couldn't hold their land without giving up their power and thus had to elect someone who was not a Quaker.
8. List examples of Quaker legacies that can be witnessed by the 18th century.
Alot of Quakers overcame Quakerism and actually became quite successful merchants. Others were deeply involved in humanitarian movements.
9. What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he referred to Quakers as "Protestant Jesuits"?
They were always causing problems to the other Protestants by sticking to the fundamentals of their religion, no matter the cost, just like the Jesuits.
10. What is meant by the Quaker description of themselves as, "dissenters in their own country"?
The Quakers were basically in their own little world. Even in that, they caused multiple problems for the other Protestants because of their different beliefs.
11. See page 69 for an interesting quote.
I think its page 68? Buy anyways...
The quote shows that the Quakers didn't really worry about things that did not directly effect them and they basically shunned anything that wasn't useful at that time.
12. Although Quakers were pacifists, how did Quakers deal with the constant warfare that surrounded them, and what role did Benjamin Franklin play?
They simply elected Non-Quakers so they wouldn't have to deal with things like that. Ben Franklin was a moderator through most of the situations.
1. Comment on each of the following Quaker philosophies:
a. Belief in equality
Believed in equality for everyone, not just white people and white men but for that the power is abused, even women and colored got respect and equality.
b. Informality
Quakers didn’t worry about having rituals and ceremonies but cared more for simple lives.
c. Toleration
that everyone is equal so, native beliefs were tolerated.
d. Martydom
that Purity of soul is the most important and that you should go through any length to ensure that the soul was right.
2.Why did the Puritans treat the Quakers so poorly (use as part of your explanation the experiences of Mary Dyer)?
Puritans didn’t like Quakers at all and treated them disrespectfully mostly because they wanted to maintain their orthodox society and beliefs and they thought that Quakers would ruin that. Mary Dyer was sent away but came back, but was put to death. Because her thoughts were more for religion then living with different beliefs.
3. What was a characteristic of Quaker worship?
A characteristic is more for inner strength and for devotion so that their soul will never be corrupt or change.
4. According to Boorstin, why didn't Quakerism become the dominant religion in America?
They wanted everything to be new and different so by winging it, it makes it harder for people outside of that one culture to find change so nice and simple like the Quakers sought fit.
6. What internal dilemmas did the Quakers face in their attempts to govern the colony?
Quakers were discriminated being they had to give an oath and they couldn’t swear on the almighty God, so they couldn’t make it far into the governmental system for their beliefs.
7. What happened to Quaker rule in 1756?
In 1756 the Quakers had to give up running in the system because the war against the Indians made them loss control because the Quaker law didn’t allow them to kill others. For their belief is mostly about pacifism.
8. List examples of Quaker legacies that can be witnessed by the 18th century.
Quakers humanitarian views were legacies because they lasted without siding with anyone and siding with warring parties because it was against God’s will.
12. Although Quakers were pacifists, how did Quakers deal with the constant warfare that surrounded them, and what role did Benjamin Franklin play?
But in Constant warfare Quakers sided with the minority because they seem like God needed to help them the most. Benjamin Franklin respected the Quakers and allowed them to remain.
1. a. The Quakers had a very strong belief in equality. In this way, they were very progressive and humanistic, more so than any other group of Christians at the time.
b. The Quakers also had a very strong belief in informality. Again, this was extremely progressive seeing as seeing as informality is only just starting to become normal in American culture.
c. Toleration may not be the best word to describe the Quakers' views of different religions because it suggests that there is still some negitivity towards the differences. The Quakers not only tolerated but accepted people, and beleived that all people were good.
d. The Quakers wanted to be martyrs. They sought out hardships and focused a lot of their energy on suffering for God.
2. The Puritans treated the Quakers so poorly because they did not share the Quakers' philosophy of acceptance. They tried to get rid of the Quakers by executing and banishing them. However, this backfired on them because the Quakers wanted nothing more thn to die for their religion so the idea of execution attracted them. Mary Dyer was one of these Quakers seeking martyrdom, and she came back again and again after being banished in hopes of an execution.
3. The main characteristic of Quaker worship was the desire to be different from other sects of Christianity. To achieve this, the Quakers made their religion, as Boorstin puts it, formless. Sermons were open to anything anyone wanted to say, and there were no set religious laws.
4. (This answer is a continuation of what I was saying in question 3.) On the other hand, where religion had no form, the image and idea of the Quaker as a person was too rigid. The clothing they wore was always plain, to show how little emphasis was placed on outer appearance, became a very important and defining part of Quaker life. Eventually, even the formlessness of the religion became, in a way, structured. This, acompanied also by the stress on martyrdom, resulted in Quakerism failing to become a dominant religion in America.
5. Quakers were against taking oaths, and making others take oaths for two main reasons. First, according to the words of George Fox, Jesus said, "Swear not at all; but let your communication be yea, yea, and nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." The Quakers took this very seriously. Second, they believed that it was unnecesary to take oaths, because everyone had the light of truth in them.
6. The problem that the Quakers encountered while trying to govern was that they were pacifists. In England, as a hated minority, they had never had to defend an entire colony, or persecute criminals. Faced with these new problems in America, their pacifism became a significant hindrance in their affective governing.
7. In 1756 the borders were attacked and the Quakers, being pacifists, could do nothing to defend themselves. The Quakers in London heard of this, and negotiated with the President of the Privy Council to make it possible for the Pennsylvania Quakers to abdicate without loosing the right to hold office. The Quakers in Pennsylvania then resigned their offices and were saved from the blame for the attacks on the border.
8. Some of the Quaker legacies that can be seen by the 18th century were their emphasis on equality and tolerance leading to their anti slavery movements and humanizing of mental hospitals and prisons.
9. When Thomas Jefferson called the Quakers "Protestant Jesuits," he meant that they were devoted not to their own country but to their religion and to the people who shared their religion, the English Quakers.
10. The Quakers, by calling themselves "dissenters in their own country," were acknowledging how much they disagreed with laws and events in their country. For example, they refused to take oaths in court or when being sworn into office, and they refused to engage in any sort of violence, even when it would have saved many innocent lives.
11. The quote (which is on page 68) is used by Boorstin to show that Quakers were much more concerned with their own self-purification than anything or anyone else.
12. The Quakers, being pacifists, tried to stay out of the wars around them. They refused to fight, ignoring the fighting around them and leaving it up to non-Quakers, saying that only God had the right to determine anything and that fighting wars or creating governments only showed a lack of faith in God. Benjamin Franklin served as an example of someone who had no faith because he was active in creating the government of the United States of America.
-Mira Schlosberg
p.s. Sorry for all the typos in the last comment.
1. Comment on each of the following Quaker philosophies:
a. Belief in equality
~Quakers believed strongly that races were equal. They tried to maintain peace with Indians and prohibited slavery, all in the name of human equality.
b. Informality
~Quakers emphasized that all of them were 'Friends'. There was no social hierarchy amongst Quakers. Informality was also a form of simplicity, since it kept speech clear and simple, instead of dressing it up with frills.
c. Toleration
~The Quakers were tolerant of races, as well as religions - as long as they were monotheistic and believed in a single deity. This trait follows the basis of equality.
d. Martyrdom
~'Friends' believed strongly in self-sacrifice and suffering. They believed this would strengthen their souls since they were suffering for Christ. Quakers went through great lengths to suffer because it proved and strengthened and tested their faith, so it may grow under the hand of oppression.
2. Why did the Puritans treat the Quakers so poorly (use as part of your explanation the experiences of Mary Dyer)?
~Because the Quakers were seen as pests among the Puritans, Quakers were treated poorly because they continuously came back to disrupt sermons and church service. Like Mary Dyer, who insistently tromped into Boston, doubtless she was banished, and eventually forced the government to administer capital punishment because of her persistence in loudly declaring her faith and obstructing church services. Another example was Christopher Holder (Page 37) who also told of a story of persistence, doubtless the law and doubtless the punishment - not to spread Quaker faith, but to strengthen his own.
3. What was a characteristic of Quaker worship?
~ Silence became a form of Quaker worship that was popularly used among Quaker society.
4. According to Boorstin, why didn't Quakerism become the dominant religion in America?
~ Because of Quaker's persistence of suffering and obsession with selfless acts that eventually cause pain, Quakerism eventually became less and less popular in America. It also fell because of it's rigid and unmoving beliefs that were "hardened against ordinary accommodations of this world."
5. What problems arose of the Quakers in the "taking of oaths?"
~ Quakers believed that people should not be required to make an oath. They believed people shouldn't take oath into office, or take a truthful oath in court. They also believe an oath, or the later Quaker-friendly affirmation, should include God in it as well, promoting more and more conflict with Puritans and surrounding colonies.
6. What internal dilemmas did the Quakers face in their attempts to govern the colony?
~ Quakers, being pacifists, refused to administer any action in defense or warfare. They also refused to take governmental action, even when massacres were happening along the eastern border of Pennsylvania. Quakers also ruled with a rigidity and a government based on total absolutes, which was ineffective because of the diversity of people who could not function under a rigid, inflexible government. The Quaker government also refused to take action when England itself called them to war, and it took great measures to delve into the controversy of capital punishment, making the government even more difficult and petulant rather than helpful.
7. What happened to Quaker rule in 1756?
~ The Quaker abdication forced Quakers to resign from office and rule during a state of warfare. Because of this, however, Quakers remained stuck out of office for a while longer after war, because of the outcry against it's rigid, neutral rule.
9. What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he referred to Quakers as "Protestant Jesuits"?
~ Jefferson meant that Quakers were incredibly loyal to persistent to their duties, like Jesuits, and also very die hard. They were also rebellious, it seems, to Puritan and other rule, and were even depicted as rebels because of their obsession with Martyrdom and pacifism.
10. What is meant by the Quaker description of themselves as, "dissenters in their own country"?
~ Being dissenters also pertains to Quakers' 'Protestant-like' rebellion to the English/Puritan church and rule. Quakers defined the selves as people who refused to accept the doctrine or rule of Pennsylvania by anyone other than Quakers, who had established the colony in the first place. They were also dissenters in their own COUNTRY because they were abused and outcast by the country that had become of all of the colonies surrounding them.
12. Although Quakers were pacifists, how did Quakers deal with the constant warfare that surrounded them, and what role did Benjamin Franklin play?
~ When Quakers were forced to participate, they did so by giving money and supplies to the armed forces. Otherwise, they avoided war at literally all costs, even when their own colony was being attacked by the Delawares. Franklin became the enemy of rigid, diehard Quakers who were nearly destroying the government at that time. He led a compromise party that included some less-obsessed Quakers, and insisted Pennsylvania create defenses and banish this intense pacifism that was destroying them.
1.a. They believed that the rights of man had no restrictions by race or religion.
b. They thought that informality and casual outfitting was a better way to understand culture than fancy-dressing.
c. The Quakers openly agreed to welcome any man of any sect
d. The Quakers thought of being a martyr at the hands of the wild was a great way to show their appreciation for the lord.
2.Because the Quakers had opposing views than the Puritans, continually trying to see if they can make the strict laws more "tolerant" for everyone else.
3. They had an strong view of informality and how things were treated with a strong belief in tolerance for race and religion.
4. The Quakers had no real system of government, only ideals of what society should look like with tolerance and acceptance.
5. The Quakers believed that they couldn't take an oath to anyone, they could only do it to their lord, which developed serious problems for them.
6. They couldn't find or make a good system of control to use for running things. they had all this diversity, but couldn't think of a way to evenly distribute power without conflict.
7. They had to withdraw from the main government because of their inability to defend themselves against the natives.
8. They seemed to see very inwards with each other. They had tolerance and neutrality and they were very enclosed with their community.
9. Thomas Jefferson called them "Protestant Jesuits" because he was noting on how religious and closed- up they seemed
10. The Quakers called themselves the "dissenters in their own nation" because they were the original colonists, so they considered themselves the majority until the other Europeans began moving to America. thats when they thought themselves as a minority, hence the name.
11. The pg.69 in my book had no quotes, which part are they in?
12.The Quakers were passive and let those around them fight, they had a policy of neutrality and peace that meant they couldn't fight back, which unfortunatlty let them be susceptible to the native attacks. It was Ben Franklin who was behind their ideas and let them do what they thought was right.
1)a.
The Quakers believed very strongly in equality among all men of all races.
b. the Quakers opposed "ceremoniousness" of any kind in dress or speech. Their focus was simplicity and informality.
c. Toleration was common among the Quaker settlements. Quakers believed that all men were essentially good and merely required followers to acknowledge and worship God.
The Quakers accepted those with doctrinal differences, such as local Indians, whose doctrine was not much different than their own.
d.Maybe most important of the Quaker faith, was the quest for martyrdom.
Even though it caused one to reflect on the purity of their souls, martyrdom created an inward community and did not flourish in early America.
2) Unlike the Quakers, the Puritans had very low tolerance for people of varied doctrines. With Mary Dyer's situation, the records show that the decision made in her trial was already agreed upon before she was even tried. Mary dyer was simply meant to witness the execution of the other Quakers as a threat never to come back. The Puritans were brutal towards the Quakers because of doctrinal differences, and because the Quakers were adherent to their own faith, the Puritans wanted to carry on with their own faith undisturbed.
3) Quaker worship was quite peculiar in that it heavily stressed martyrdom. Frankly it was also unorthodox. The Quakers worshiped by being silent and even being eager to receive lashes.
4) Quakerism did not spread throughout America because unlike the Puritans, the Quakers focused on perfecting their faith rather than spreading it. Because Quakerism seemed to lack form and cohesiveness in early settlement, it failed to dominate America.
the anonymous comment made at 7:42 pm is mine, my name wasn't posted though.
1. Belief in equality: The Quakers believed every race to be just as equal as those of lighter pigment of Europe.
Informality: Quaker hierarchy did not promote foreign relationships amongst people in a community. Paying formal respect to a person both diminishes the spirit of the payer of respect and boosts the confidence of the one receiving the formality, providing potential human errors to cause problems in the community.
Toleration: The Quakers were extremely tolerant of races and religions, as long as those religions were similar to their own.
Martyrdom: Quakers followed through with self suffering in that they believed it to strengthen their faith and their soul and was used as a display of their undying faith
2. Puritans viewed Quakers as problems in the church, as consistent pestering during sermons proved troublesome as well as their difference in varying beliefs. Quakers were considered people who practiced outside of Puritan belief and thus were shunned from Puritan community.
3. The Quakers adapted a form of worship involving solid silence throughout the course of their attended sessions.
4. Martyrdom was not a great influence to participate in Quakerism from outside points of view. The selfless acts usually ending in one form of pain to another was little appeal for the Quaker case.
5. Quakers sought out oaths as to pertain to their beliefs, involving God in one way or another. A simplistic oath to office or otherwise was not appealing to them and lacked the God focus.
6. Quaker rule was, in ideal situations, a peaceful action, but considering the New World had anything but ideal situations, the Quakers pacifism did not aid them when attacked or declared war upon as they refused to commit such violence, thus proving problems in their society and governing rule.
7. Quakers were forced to resign during times of war, but due to their rigidity, they weren't allowed back into office for extended periods of time even after the time of war had passed.
9. Jefferson referred to the Quakers as 'Protestant Jesuits' because they were passionate for what they believed in, similarly to Jesuits.
10. The Quakers described themselves as dissenters because they refused rule of non-Quakers and insisted on maintaining Pennsylvania as a Quaker ruled colony considering they themselves had established the area as a colony.
12. Quakers would support the war effort through strictly financial efforts or giving items to help, but even if they were attacked outright, they refused to fight. This inability to defend led to a revolt against Quaker rule led by Benjamin Franklin.
5) Taking oaths in Quakerism caused governing problems in Quaker society. Because Quakers could not swear under God, they could not hold positions in office or bear witness to crimes. And affirmations were not taken as seriously by the English court.
6) Essentially, the problems the Quakers faced with government was their strong belief in pacifism. Especially with the case of taxes and property, people would have difficulties obeying the law. There were also problems with distribution of power when it came to accepting non-Quakers. Because they were pacifists, the Quakers were unable to make laws or have severe punishments.
7) In 1756, the Quakers became a minority in Pennsylvania because of their pacifist policy. Their underestimation of the Indians and the failure to defend Pennsylvania ultimately brought the Quaker rule to an end.
8) The lasting legacy of Quakerism can be seen in the fight for universal equality and tolerance in many societies and religions.
9) Quakers were referred to as Protestant Jesuits because they were more loyal to their faith and to God rather than to the land they resided in. Evenmore they showed more loyalty to England than to the American lands.
10) Dissenters of their own country means that the Quakers were more committed to their faith. Committed to their faith above anything else. Even when the people of Pennsylvania required military protection, Quakers stuck to pacifism. This shows that Quakerism was the downfall of a religion.
12) In 1756, the Quakers remained pacifists by abdicating their position of government. The Quakers themselves did not fight. And these plans were suggested by Benjamin Franklin
1. Comment on each of the following Quaker philosophies:
a. Belief in equality
It’s interesting that John Woolman believes that the current enslavement of Negroes was an abuse of power and equality. With that idea he was very ahead of his time—and while Boorstin’s idea that the Quaker philosophies were adherent to later American ones holds true in modern society, where slavery is seen as repulsive, it is quite contradictory to a hefty era of American history, up until the civil war.
b. Informality
I believe living in an informal society would be more comfortable, less tense, and generally easier than living, for example, in the British court. As far as it cohering with “later textbook definitions of American Democracy,” I think it still relatively holds true. Voting is not a particularly formal affair—no one puts on their Sunday suit to do it. The inner workings of our government have enough respectful distance to get things done without losing hours to arguments, but aren’t impossibly formal either. American society today also generally agrees with the Quaker’s rejection of formal dress for simplicity. In Japan, for example, you would see floods of businesspeople in perfect suits walking to work everyday. In Madrid, the average middle class outfit could cost you around 150 euros. America, in comparison, is pretty informal.
c. Toleration
The Quaker’s religious tolerance of any form of God-worshipping peoples is reflected in today’s America on a larger scale. While in some countries only one branch of one religion is widely accepted, in America there are hundreds of Christian sects (on the whole) peacefully coexisting with other religions. We still believe in the idea that as long as a religion isn’t harmful to other citizens or break any laws, then one is free to worship it.
d. Martydom
The Quaker’s extreme martyrdom is an odd combination with their tolerance; they find ecstasy in preaching in places where they are beaten and rejected, perhaps partly because they so firmly believe that their ideas should be tolerated just as they coexist with the ideas of others. At the same time, while sacrificing themselves to spread their interpretation of God’s word to the Massachusetts colony, their tolerance leads them to patently accept that their preaching changes no opinions, and cheerfully return each time they are forced to leave.
-Bethany Kolody
2. Why did the Puritans treat the Quakers so poorly (use as part of your explanation the experiences of Mary Dyer)?
The Puritans treated the Quakers so poorly as a last resort. They really found no joy in whipping and torturing Quaker martyrs; rather, they only had set out to build their insular colony to their chosen set of God’s truths, and wished to be left alone to do so. They didn’t send missionaries to the Quaker colonies. They were perfectly happy with them worshipping their religion—at a distance. But when masochistic Quakers kept coming back, they increased the punishments. The Puritans “showed how little they understood the problem by increasing legal penalties against intruders.”
Mary Dyer, for example, was a Quaker woman who was positively thrilled to make sacrifices for her lord. After being sentenced to death for preaching she said, “It is an Hour of the greatest Joy I can enjoy in this World.” Two other men were hung. She stepped up to the gallows. But suddenly they pulled her back and sent her packing back to Rhode Island. She was outraged, and ventured back until they finally had no choice but to fulfill her wishes and hang her.
3. What was a characteristic of Quaker worship?
Quaker worship was characterized by complete devotion and purification of one’s own soul. This was an obstacle when it came to governing because it was more important to Quaker leaders to preserve their own purity by not taking oaths than preserve other aspects of their doctrine, and hundreds of lives, by banning the death penalty.
Quaker worship isn’t just in church, it extend into every small aspect of a Quaker’s life. They proved, for example their “contempt for rank and custom” by refusing to remove their hats. They showed their “indifference towards outward garments” by wearing plain outfits constantly. Eventually these customs became purposeless because Quakers came to use them only to set them apart from others.
Another characteristic of their worship was that attending sermons was mandatory and they had a manner of worshipping through silence.
4. According to Boorstin, why didn't Quakerism become the dominant religion in America?
Quakerism initially had the potential to be the dominant American religion. “By the middle of the 18th century, there were more Quakers in the Northern Hemisphere than in all of Britain.” But for multiple reasons, it strayed from that potential. First off, it became less and less adaptive, and increasingly strict and demanding. There was no room for open-mindedness. “The dogmas of Quakerism grew more fixed and uncompromising… Quakerism—traditionally formless, spontaneous, and universal—built a wall around itself.” It demanded personal purity and was characterized by diehard martyrs. “They were enforcers rather than devotees of the Gospel.”
-Bethany Kolody
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