The Quakers: A Brief History (Religious Society of Friends)

https://www.tomrichey.net/colonial-am...

In the seventeenth century, in the wake of the English Civil War, George Fox founded the Religious Society of Friends, more commonly known as the Quakers. Quakers rejected the traditional church hierarchy and teachings of the Church of England, believing that each individual has an inner light and can achieve a direct relationship with God without the help of a minister. Early Quakers were persecuted in England not only for their non-conformity in religion, but also for their rejection of social hierarchy and their tendency to address everyone as an equal. William Penn, the founder and proprietor of the Pennsylvania Colony, was a Quaker and established his colony based on the principles of the Society of Friends.

This lecture can provide context for US History students interested in the foundations of the Pennsylvania Colony and for anyone interested in the history of religion. This content fits into Period 2 in the current AP US History curriculum.