Quaker Abolitionism in Southern Lancaster County
Introduction (3 minutes)
Quaker abolitionism has long been emphasized in the curriculum
of schools. Quakers often were painted as the only source of
assistance on the Underground Railroad. However, it is becoming
more apparent that free African Americans were perhaps the biggest
advocates for the fleeing African Americans. Many Quakers helped
with the cause but they should not be viewed as the primary
actors in the story of the fleeing African Americans.
In light of this, new scholarship covering all of the aspects
of Quaker abolitionism should be discussed.
Generally speaking, until the 1750s members of
the Society of Friends enslaved Africans to work for them on
their farms or plantations. Professor Edward R. Turner says,
"There is no doubt that at first the Quakers were the principal
slave-holders in Pennsylvania and probably owned more negroes
than any other people in the colony."
The history of the Lancaster Quakers must be understood
in the larger context. The Lancaster County Quakers belonged
to the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. The ferment in the
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting to free enslaved African Americans
began in 1688 when four German Quakers began to battle slavery
by declaring slavery was "contrary to the Golden Rule, that
is, do unto others as you wish others to do to you." In
1776, the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting finally took a definitive
stand against slavery when they declared that Quakers that did
not manumit their slaves would be expelled from the Society.
In Philadelphia and surrounding areas this decision did convince
most Quakers to manumit the African Americans they had enslaved.
However, in Lancaster County and elsewhere, some continued to
enslave African Americans.
Out of this ferment, dissension, and peace tradition
arose a call or desire among some Quakers to do more than just
manumit enslaved African Americans. Some began to assist
fleeing African Americans on the Underground Railroad.
This is their story and a brief overview of what the African
Americans were fleeing.
Environment of African Americans in Southern
Lancaster County and other parts of the country in the 19th
century (20 minutes)
Use the Written Document Analysis Worksheet from the National
Archives and Records Administration (found at http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/analysis/write.html
though provided in hard copy form here) to analyze the Runaway
Slave Wanted Ads from The Lancaster Journal 1794-1810.
As you read the texts, think about these questions in addition
to the questions on the NARA worksheet:
Southern Lancaster County Quaker Abolitionists
(15-20 minutes)
Go to
http://tweis.millersville.edu/ugrr/ppmap.html
to learn more about a few of the Quakers in Southern Lancaster
County that assisted fleeing African Americans. Read
about each of them and answer the questions found on the web
pages for at least two of the people.
Final Synthesis (5-10 minutes)
Begin to outline and work on your final assessment project.
You can choose from one of the following:
- Assume the character of one of the enslaved people mentioned
in the "Wanted" ads. Write a short story about what
their lives were like -- either as an enslaved person or
after they fleed or both. In addition to the African
American's personal story, you should use the information
you learned about various Quakers and write about one of
these people that helped you and your view as an African
American about the stands these Quakers make.
- Create a report on a Quaker abolitionist not discussed
in class. In addition to your new sources, you must
also must draw from resources used in class.
- Create a report on a Black Abolitionist. Compare and
contrast this person with either Levi Coffin or John Woolman.
- Other suggestions by students will be considered.
Resources for Final Synthesis project:
Alternative Exercise:
1. Go to PBS "Africans in America" -- Am
I Not a Man and a Brother? for an introduction to the
role of Quakers in the worldwide abolition movement.
- What is your evaluation of the emblem created by the
Quakers? How does it make you feel?
- Do you agree with the reading's assessment of the emblem?
What other themes does it evoke that aren't mentioned here?
- The reading says, "the Society for Effecting the Abolition
of the Slave Trade was emphatic that its only goal was the
abolition of the slave trade, not of slavery itself."
How do you think this made "Africans in America" feel?
Do you recognize a connection between this sentiment and
an important document of the American History, the Emancipation
Proclamation?
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (40 minutes)
Meet with others who used these resources to share insights,
ideas, and reflections on your experience of doing this activity.
Begin by briefly sharing your ideas for the presentations and
then discuss the activity, using the following questions as
prompts:
- What could students learn from this activity about the
historical significance of Quaker abolitionism in Southern
Lancaster County in the struggle for African American freedom?
What kinds of background information would students need
to effectively engage in this activity?
- Would this activity, or some variation of it, work in
your classroom or site? How would you reshape it for your
audience? How would you combine it with other resources
or sequence it with other lessons?
- What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of this
activity? Is it a good vehicle for developing skills in
inquiry, exploring primary sources, and developing arguments?
- How would you describe the pedagogy (or principles of
teaching/learning) that informs this activity? What aspects
of the activity help to make it effective? What skills and
modes of thinking does it support? Do the electronic resources
suit the assignment's goals? What can we learn from this
activity about the kinds of inquiry assignments that work
best when using new media?
