Jeff Denman
The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Quakers in Revolutionary Pennsylvania
The Quakers found themselves at the center of a controversy that ignited a firestorm of paranoia, anger, and vengeance. How did a peace-loving people find themselves the objects of derision and disdain in a time of social and political upheaval as British hegemony in America was being waged? The religious precepts the Society of Friends in Pennsylvania devoutly followed collided violently with the realities of eighteenth-century life, which often involved constant wars among European powers that ended up as colonial issues as well. As the violence of the Revolution ramped up, Quaker leadership reminded their flock that the Society would be taking a neutral stance in the coming conflict. Neutrality, as it turned out, was deemed an unacceptable position to take by the radical leadership in Pennsylvania. Non-Quakers had difficulty distinguishing between passive neutrality and aiding and abetting British policy. Friends were criticized from both sides and were labeled dissenters from the American cause. As the revolution unfolded, the Quakers suffered immeasurably. Since they rejected military service, they were fined and taxed heavily. Their property was distrained, and they were forced to lodge soldiers in their homes. British and American depredations destroyed Quaker farms and businesses. This is a story of the precipitous rise of the Society of Friends in Pennsylvania, their goal of what seemed a utopian society, and a testament to resilience and adherence to their strict standards.
Jeff was also a speaker for History Camp Boston 2024
[Broadcast on May 21, 2025; recorded earlier.]
Jeff Denman, MA (jeffreyadenman.com, Instagram: @jeffreyadenman, X: @JeffDenman3), is the author of John Quincy Adams, Reluctant Abolitionist and co-author of Greene and Cornwallis in the Carolinas: The Pivotal Struggle of the American Revolution, 1780–1781. He is a retired US History and World Geography teacher from the Brookline Public Schools as well as a historian and the author of seven journal articles dealing with subjects ranging from the American Revolution to World War II.
