The Quaker religion, also called the Society of Friends, was started by George Fox. He thought that the only way to talk to God was through an inner spiritual faith. He believed that it was possible for everyone to talk directly with God. This belief challenged the authority of the Anglican church. He started the Quaker religion to practice what he believed. Many people became Quakers and started to follow Fox. Most Quakers thought fighting is wrong, and they thought that everyone was equal. Quakers would not take off their hats to other men. The English didn't like the Quakers and put many of them in jail. This is why the Quakers decided move to America.

George Fox Image Courtesy of Art Today

William Penn Courtesy of ArtToday

When the Quakers moved to America, they still were not treated very nicely. They were still put in jail and were even hung. When William Penn came to settle in Pennsylvania, the Quakers were very happy because William Penn was a Quaker. They thought that this would be a new and happier life for them. The Quakers did prosper. They worked hard, and soon controlled most of Pennsylvania. When the Revolutionary war broke out, the Quakers were beaten because they wouldn't take sides. They did help raise relief funds to help the wounded from the war.

One of the most important Quaker beliefs was that they were against slavery, and they would not have any slaves. By 1776, the National Quaker Organization banned slave-holding among themselves.

The Quakers may have been against fighting, but people fought against them. Through all the years of Quakerism in the Colonies, Quakers were beaten and whipped for practicing what they believed.

George Fox was born in 1624 and died in 1691. The persecution of Fox and his many thousands of followers eventually led to increased religious freedom in Britain.