Philadelphia Quakers and the American Revolution-Blog Post #1

Spanish privateers on the Delaware River

As Pennsylvania was on the threshold of the 1740s, a dilemma emerged between the core Quaker principle of pacifism and the necessary defense of the colony. European conflicts between England and Spain and between France and England would find their way to Pennsylvania's front door. Quaker politicians, who controlled the colonial government, were divided. Some decided to forego their peace testimony in times of crisis, and early Quaker leader James Logan maintained that all civil government was rooted in force and that those Quakers in power who could not authorize force when necessary ought to renounce their political positions. . . . But the question remained: how could one stay faithful to religious principle while administering a government in times of conflict? . . . In 1739, war broke out between Britain and Spain in what was to be known as the War of Jenkins' Ear. Unfortunately for the Quakers, much of the war would affect Pennsylvania. Spanish privateers had been spotted in the Delaware River. The Quaker-dominated Pennsylvania Assembly rebuffed Deputy Governor George Thomas's demand for money and men for war. The Assembly refused to appropriate money for defense, but when pressure mounted, the Assembly outflanked Thomas and sent £3,000 directly to England for "the Use of the king." This duality of pacifism and defense was moving towards its rupture.