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Archiver > QUAKER-ROOTS > 2007-10 > 1191669746
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Subject: Re: [Q-R] Quaker judgements
Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 07:22:26 EDT
Yes, the Quaker histories talk about the reasons Quakers were jailed in
England. But the Quakers -- and others -- were required in some colonies to pay
a tithe to the Church of England or the official state church, regardless of
their preferred affiliation. Stories of various persecutions are in meeting
minutes. The Quakers and others in the unoffficial denominations
encountered problems on both sides of the Atlantic during the colonial era.
While many Quakers were treated as suspected Tories for adherence to their
pacifist beliefs during the Revolution, there were also those who felt
strongly enough about getting rid of the English government that they joined the
military and were dismissed from membership for that reason. They apparently
considered the issues so important that it was worth risking that. There is a
story that some Quakers took down their rifles and went "squirrel hunting" on
the day of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. I don't know if it's true,
but it's a rather interesting story. Of course, there were other Quakers who
nursed the British wounded afterwards, and buried their dead in the graveyard
at New Garden Meeting.
As is typical for human nature, not everyone will feel the same way about a
particular issue, or choose the same response to it.
Katherine
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