First Protest Against Slavery

On February 16, 1688, in response to fellow Quaker families in the area of Germantown, Pennsylvania, who had decided to practice slavery (such as those who owned what is now La Salle’s campus), members of the Society met to draft the first protest against slavery in the new world. Their meeting house was near the intersection of present-day Wister Street and Germantown Avenue, about a mile from Connelly Library. Their Petition Against Slavery read as follows: This is to ye monthly meeting held at Richard Worrell\u27s. These are the reasons why we are against the traffik of men-body, as followeth. Is there any that would be done or handled at this manner? viz., to be sold or made a slave for all the time of his life? How fearful and faint-hearted 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 doe? Yea, rather is it worse for them which say they are Christians, for we hear that ye most part of such negers are brought hitherto against their will and consent and that many of them are stolen. Now tho they are black we cannot conceive there is more liberty to have them slaves, as it is to have other white ones. There is a saying that we shall doe to all men like as we will be done ourselves; making no difference of what generation, descent or colour they are. And those who steal or rob men, and those who buy or purchase them, are they not alike? Here is liberty of conscience wch is right and reasonable; here ought to be likewise liberty of ye body, except of evil-doers, wch is an other case. 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 oppossd who are of a black colour. . . . Ah! doe consider well this thing, you who doe it, if you would be done at this manner? and if it is done according to Christianity? . . .https://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/slaveowners_civil_war/1008/thumbnail.jp