the quaker colonies-第1节

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The　Quaker　Colonies；　A　Chronicle　of　the　Proprietors　of　the　Delaware

by　Sydney　G。　Fisher






CONTENTS

I。　THE　BIRTH　OF　PENNSYLVANIA　
II。　PENN　SAILS　FOR　THE　DELAWARE
III。　LIFE　IN　PHILADELPHIA
IV。　TYPES　OF　THE　POPULATION
V。　THE　TROUBLES　OF　PENN　AND　HIS　SONS
VI。　THE　FRENCH　AND　INDIAN　WAR
VII。　THE　DECLINE　OF　QUAKER　GOVERNMENT
VIII。　THE　BEGINNINGS　OF　NEW　JERSEY
IX。　PLANTERS　AND　TRADERS　OF　SOUTHERN　JERSEY
X。　SCOTCH　COVENANTERS　AND　OTHERS　IN　EAST　JERSEY
XI。　THE　UNITED　JERSEYS
XII。　LITTLE　DELAWARE
XIII。　THE　ENGLISH　CONQUEST
BIBLIOGRAPHY







THE　QUAKER　COLONIES

Chapter　I。　The　Birth　Of　Pennsylvania

In　1661；　the　year　after　Charles　II　was　restored　to　the　throne　of　England；　William　Penn　was　a　seventeen…year…old　student　at　Christ　Church；　Oxford。　His　father；　a　distinguished　admiral　in　high　favor　at　Court；　had　abandoned　his　erstwhile　friends　and　had　aided　in　restoring　King　Charlie　to　his　own　again。　Young　William　was　associating　with　the　sons　of　the　aristocracy　and　was　receiving　an　education　which　would　fit　him　to　obtain　preferment　at　Court。　But　there　was　a　serious　vein　in　him；　and　while　at　a　high　church　Oxford　College　he　was　surreptitiously　attending　the　meetings　and　listening　to　the　preaching　of　the　despised　and　outlawed　Quakers。　There　he　first　began　to　hear　of　the　plans　of　a　group　of　Quakers　to　found　colonies　on　the　Delaware　in　America。　Forty　years　afterwards　he　wrote；　〃I　had　an　opening　of　joy　as　to　these　parts　in　the　year　1661　at　Oxford。〃　And　with　America　and　the　Quakers；　in　spite　of　a　brief　youthful　experience　as　a　soldier　and　a　courtier；　William　Penn's　life；　as　well　as　his　fame；　is　indissolubly　linked。

Quakerism　was　one　of　the　many　religious　sects　born　in　the　seventeenth　century　under　the　influence　of　Puritan　thought。　The　foundation　principle　of　the　Reformation；　the　right　of　private　judgment；　the　Quakers　carried　out　to　its　logical　conclusion；　but　they　were　people　whose　minds　had　so　long　been　suppressed　and　terrorized　that；　once　free；　they　rushed　to　extremes。　They　shocked　and　horrified　even　the　most　advanced　Reformation　sects　by　rejecting　Baptism；　the　doctrine　of　the　Trinity；　and　all　sacraments；　forms；　and　ceremonies。　They　represented；　on　their　best　side；　the　most　vigorous　effort　of　the　Reformation　to　return　to　the　spirituality　and　the　simplicity　of　the　early　Christians。　But　their　intense　spirituality；　pathetic　often　in　its　extreme　manifestations；　was　not　wholly　concerned　with　another　world。　Their　humane　ideas　and　philanthropic　methods；　such　as　the　abolition　of　slavery；　and　the　reform　of　prisons　and　of　charitable　institutions；　came　in　time　to　be　accepted　as　fundamental　practical　social　principles。

The　tendencies　of　which　Quakerism　formed　only　one　manifestation　appeared　outside　of　England；　in　Italy；　in　France；　and　especially　in　Germany。　The　fundamental　Quaker　idea　of　〃quietism；〃　as　it　was　called；　or　peaceful；　silent　contemplation　as　a　spiritual　form　of　worship　and　as　a　development　of　moral　consciousness；　was　very　widespread　at　the　close　of　the　Reformation　and　even　began　to　be　practiced　in　the　Roman　Catholic　Church　until　it　was　stopped　by　the　Jesuits。　The　most　extreme　of　the　English　Quakers；　however；　gave　way　to　such　extravagances　of　conduct　as　trembling　when　they　preached　（whence　their　name）；　preaching　openly　in　the　streets　and　fieldsa　horrible　thing　at　that　timeinterrupting　other　congregations；　and　appearing　naked　as　a　sign　and　warning。　They　gave　offense　by　refusing　to　remove　their　hats　in　public　and　by　applying　to　all　alike　the　words　〃thee〃　and　〃thou；〃　a　form　of　address　hitherto　used　only　to　servants　and　inferiors。　Worst　of　all；　the　Quakers　refused　to　pay　tithes　or　taxes　to　support　the　Church　of　England。　As　a　result；　the　loathsome　jails　of　the　day　were　soon　filled　with　these　objectors；　and　their　property　melted　away　in　fines。　This　contumacy　and　their　street　meetings；　regarded　at　that　time　as　riotous　breaches　of　the　peace；　gave　the　Government　at　first　a　legal　excuse　to　hunt　them　down；　but　as　they　grew　in　numbers　and　influence；　laws　were　enacted　to　suppress　them。　Some　of　them；　though　not　the　wildest　extremists；　escaped　to　the　colonies　in　America。　There；　however；　they　were　made　welcome　to　conditions　no　less　severe。

The　first　law　against　the　Quakers　in　Massachusetts　was　passed　in　1656；　and　between　that　date　and　1660　four　of　the　sect　were　hanged；　one　of　them　a　woman；　Mary　Dyer。　Though　there　were　no　other　hangings；　many　Quakers　were　punished　by　whipping　and　banishment。　In　other　colonies；　notably　New　York；　fines　and　banishment　were　not　uncommon。　Such　treatment　forced　the　Quakers；　against　the　will　of　many　of　them；　to　seek　a　tract　of　land　and　found　a　colony　of　their　own。　To　such　a　course　there　appeared　no　alternative；　unless　they　were　determined　to　establish　their　religion　solely　by　martyrdom。

About　the　time　when　the　Massachusetts　laws　were　enforced；　the　principal　Quaker　leader　and　organizer；　George　Fox　（1624…1691）；　began　to　consider　the　possibility　of　making　a　settlement　among　the　great　forests　and　mountains　said　to　lie　north　of　Maryland　in　the　region　drained　by　the　Delaware　and　Susquehanna　rivers。　In　this　region　lay　practically　the　only　good　land　on　the　Atlantic　seaboard　not　already　occupied。　The　Puritans　and　Dutch　were　on　the　north；　and　there　were　Catholic　and　Church　of　England　colonies　on　the　south　in　Maryland　and　Virginia。　The　middle　ground　was　unoccupied　because　heretofore　a　difficult　coast　had　prevented　easy　access　by　sea。　Fox　consulted　Josiah　Coale；　a　Quaker　who　had　traveled　in　America　and　had　seen　a　good　deal　of　the　Indian　tribes；　with　the　result　that　on　his　second　visit　to　America　Coale　was　commissioned　to　treat　with　the　Susquehanna　Indians；　who　were　supposed　to　have　rights　in　the　desired　land。　In　November；　1660；　Coale　reported　to　Fox　the　result　of　his　inquiries：　〃As　concerning　Friends　buying　a　piece　of　land　of　the　Susquehanna　Indians　I　have　spoken　of　it　to　them　and　told　them　what　thou　said　concerning　it；　but　their　answer　was；　that　there　is　no　land　that　is　habitable　or　fit　for　situation　beyond　Baltimore's　liberty　till　they　come　to　or　near　the　Susquehanna's　Fort。〃*　Nothing　could　be　done　immediately；　the　letter　went　on　to　say；　because　the　Indians　were　at　war　with　one　another；　and　William　Fuller；　a　Maryland　Quaker；　whose　cooperation　was　deemed　essential；　was　absent。

*　James　Bowden's　〃History　of　the　Friends　in　America；〃　vol。　I；　p。　389


This　seems　to　have　been　the　first　definite　movement　towards　a　Quaker　colony。　Reports　of　it　reached　the　ears　of　young　Penn　at　Oxford　and　set　his　imagination　aflame。　He　never　forgot　the　project；　for　seventeen　is　an　age　when　grand　thoughts　strike　home。　The　adventurousness　of　the　plan　was　irresistiblea　home　for　the　new　faith　in　the　primeval　forest；　far　from　imprisonment；　tithes；　and　persecution；　and　to　be　won　by　effort　worthy　of　a　man。　It　was；　however；　a　dream　destined　not　to　be　realized　for　many　a　long　year。　More　was　needed　than　the　mere　consent　of　the　Indians。　In　the　meantime；　however；　a　temporary　refuge　for　the　sect　was　found　in　the　province　of　West　Jersey　on　the　Delaware；　which　two　Quakers　had　bought　from　Lord　Berkeley　for　the　comparatively　small　sum　of　1000　pounds。　Of　this　grant　William　Penn　became　one　of　the　trustees　and　thus　gained　his　first　experience　in　the　business　of　colonizing　the　region　of　his　youthful　dreams。　But　there　was　never　a　sufficient　governmental　control　of　West　Jersey　to　make　it　an　ideal　Quaker　colony。　What　little　control　the　Quakers　exercised　disappeared　after　1702；　and　the　land　and　situation　were　not　all　that　could　be　desired。　Penn；　though　also　one　of　the　owners　of　East　Jersey；　made　no　attempt　to　turn　that　region　into　a　Quaker　colony。

Besides　West　Jersey　the　Quakers　found　a　temporary　asylum　in　Aquidneck；　now　Rhode　Island。*　For　many　years　the　governors　and　magistrates　were　Quakers；　and　the　affairs　of　this　island　colony　were　largely　in　their　hands。　Quakers　were　also　prominent　in　the　politics　of　North　Carolina；　and　John　Archdale；　a　Quaker；　was　Governor　for　several　years。　They　formed　a　considerable　element　of　the　population　in　the　towns　of　Long　Island　and　Westchester　County　but　they　could　not　hope　to　convert　these　communities　into　real　Quaker　commonwealths。

*　This　Rhode　Island　colony　should　be　distinguished　from　the　settlement　at　Providence　founded　by　Roger　Williams　with　which　it　was　later　united。　See　Jones；　〃The　Quakers　in　the　American　Colonies；〃　p。　21；　note。


The　experience　in　the　Jerseys　and　elsewhere　very　soon　proved　that　if　there　was　to　be　a　real　Quaker　colony；　the　British　Crown　must　give　not　only　a　title　to　the　land　but　a　strong　charter　guaranteeing　self…government　and　protection　of　the　Quaker　faith　from　outside　interference。　But　that　the　British　Government　would　grant　such　valued　privileges　to　a　sect　of　schismatics　which　it　was　hunting　down　in　England　seemed　a　most　unlikely　event。　Nothing　but　unusual　influence　at　Court　could　bring　it　about；　and　in　that　quarter　the　Quakers　had　no　influence。

Penn　never　forgot　the　boyhood　ideal　which　he　had　developed　at　college。　For　twenty　years　he　led　a　varied　lifedriven　from　home　and　whipped　by　his　father　for　consorting　with　the　schismatic；　sometimes　in　deference　to　his　father's　wishes　taking　his　place　in　the　gay　world　at　Court；　even；　for　a　time；　becoming　a　soldier；　and　again　traveli