“A Minute against Slavery, Addressed to Germantown Monthly Meeting” 1688

Table of Contents

“A Minute against Slavery, Addressed to Germantown Monthly Meeting”
Overview
Context
About the Author
Explanation and Analysis of the Document
Audience
Impact
Document Text

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Abstract

On February 18, 1688, Quakers met in Germantown, Pennsylvania, located about fi ve miles northwest of Philadelphia, and issued the fi rst known statement in British North America proclaiming the evils of slavery and urging the abolition of the institution. The petition, titled “A Minute against Slavery, Addressed to Germantown Monthly Meeting,” raised points that would become the basis for eighteenth-century arguments for the abolition of slavery: It violated the Golden Rule, to do unto others as you would have done to you; it was theft; it inspired the growth of vices such as adultery and caused family dissolution; it detracted from the humanity of the owner; and it presented the constant threat of insurrection and rebellion by those enslaved.

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