Who were the first to champion abolishing slavery in America?
— The Christian settlers in Pennsylvania!
Quakers, Pietist Lutherans and Mennonites went on record as being the first to oppose slavery in America with their Germantown Petition of 1688, just 6 years after William Penn founded the colony.
The Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery, submitted by Francis Daniel Pastorius and three others, was the first American document protesting slavery:
It stated:
“How fearful and fainthearted are many on sea, when they see a strange vessel, –being afraid it should be a Turk, and they should be taken, and sold for slaves into Turkey. … Now what is this better done, as Turks do? Yea, rather it is worse for them, which say they are Christians; for we hear that ye most part of such negroes are brought hither against their will and consent, and that many of them are stolen … There is a saying that we shall do to all men like as we will be done ourselves; making no difference of what generation, descent or color they are. And those who steal or rob men, and those who buy or purchase them, are they not all alike? Here is liberty of conscience which is right and reasonable; here ought to be liberty of ye body … But to bring men hither, or to rob and sell them against their will, we stand against. … In Europe there are many oppressed for conscience sake; and here there are those oppressed which are of a black color … This makes an ill report in all those countries of Europe, where they hear of, that ye Quakers do here handle men as they handle there ye cattle … We … are against this traffic of men-body. And we who profess that it is not lawful to steal, must, likewise, avoid to purchase such things as are stolen … Then is Pennsylvania to have a good report … in what manner ye Quakers do rule in their province.”
Quakers had the courage to stand against slavery, even though the government of England financially benefited from it.
In the early 1700s, many colonies tried ending slavery but Queen Anne would not allow it.
The monarchy of England was part owner in the Royal African Company, which since its founding in 1660, shipped more slaves to the Americas than any other entity.
