Quaker history begins in the mid Seventeenth Century. This period saw the political revolution in England that subsequently leads to our Civil War. The scientific revolution follows, with change occurring in the religions and thinking of humanity, we learn to question our leaders’ thinking. Science produces Galileo’s wisdom of the ancients to the world. Aristotle studies the sky’s mechanics and celestial bodies while Ptolemy studies the motion of the planets. And yes the entrenched thinking of the church was threatened with these discoveries of science. The church tried to suppress these findings.

The year was 1620 when a group of religious dissenters from Holland sailed to America in the “Mayflower.” Historians have called this the “Century of Dissent,” a period in history that saw people not willing to accept the established authority’s dictates. Rather, they claimed the right to investigate for themselves what the truth is. So we see in science and in religion that personal experiences as the observer were coming forward in the mind of humanity. Dissatisfied with the Church and unable to dissent freely, Quakers formed small groups meeting to worship and talk. They became known as Seekers. Leaderless at this time, the loose knit group of believers lacked inspiration. The leader arrived by the name of George Fox.

When George Fox arrived in 1652 it became known as the “birth of Quakerism.” Traveling around the country, preaching for five years and spreading his message, he was welcomed by some but opposed by others. He was jailed in Derby on charges of blasphemy and treated harshly. He did not start any movement at this time. In May of 1652 in Lancashire he hiked up to Pendle Hill, near Clitheroe. Hiking in those times was not done for leisure or fun, and the site George Fox picked to hike to was well known as a haunt for witches back then. Fox was an unpredictable individual though and found the view from the summit of Pendle Hill inspiring. Then he had a vision of “a great people to be gathered.”

A significant visit occurred at Swarthmore Hall in a large house occupied by Judge Fell and his wife Margaret. Both liberal in outlook regarding religious matters, Margaret Fell welcomed George Fox into their home and was quickly converted to his teaching. Meetings followed in the Hall and because of Judge Fell’s position of authority in the county, the group meetings were not harassed by the Law, a common practice in those days. Swarthmore Hall became the headquarters of the Quaker movement. From here, the early Quaker “missionaries,” in small groups, spread the new message to other parts of the country.