Quakers and Slavery, 1657-1865: An International Interdisciplinary ConferenceQuakers and Slavery, 1657-1865: An International Interdisciplinary Conferencehttp://www.haverford.edu/calendar/details/141462Stokes Auditorium2010-11-06T08:00:002010-11-06T18:00:00
November 6, 8:00AM
Stokes Auditorium
This major international, interdisciplinary conference aims to examine the history, literature, and culture of the Quaker relationship with slavery, from the society’s origins in the English Civil War to the end of the American Civil War.
Description
Quakers and Slavery, 1657-1865: An International Interdisciplinary Conference
Hosted by The McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Swarthmore College, and Haverford College.
Locations:
Thursday, November 4, 2010: The McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania
Friday, November 5, 2010: Swarthmore College
Saturday, November 6, 2010: Haverford College
In 1657, George Fox wrote “To Friends beyond sea, that have Blacks and Indian Slaves” to remind them that Quakers who owned slaves should be merciful and should remember that God “hath made all Nations of one Blood.” His argument may seem far from radical today, but it initiated three centuries of Quaker debate and activism over the problem of slavery that would ultimately see Friends taking key roles in abolition and emancipation movements on both sides of the Atlantic, and beyond. It was, however, by no means inevitable that Quakers would embrace antislavery. In the seventeenth century, and most of the eighteenth century, Quakers were divided on the issue, particularly in the British American colonies, with some denouncing slavery, and others owning slaves. In the following century, Quakers were more unified in their opposition to slavery, but encountered a range of spiritual, political, and personal challenges while taking their antislavery message to a wider world. This interdisciplinary conference aims to examine the history, literature, and culture of the Quaker relationship with slavery, from the society’s origins in the English Civil War up to the end of the American Civil War, with a focus on what David Brion Davis has called “The Quaker Antislavery International.”
Full Program: http://www.quakersandslavery.org/program.htm
Funding for this conference has been provided by Office of the Provost, Bryn Mawr College; John B. Hurford '60 Humanities Center at Haverford College through its Leaves of Grass Fund; Office of Quaker Affairs, Haverford College; Office of the Provost and the Margaret Gest Program, Haverford College; The McNeil Center for Early American Studies, University of Pennsylvania; The William J. Cooper Foundation, Swarthmore College.
Link: http://www.quakersandslavery.org/
For More Info
John Anderies
610-896-1161
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