Description
Pennsylvania's role in the development of American culture and society has received an increasing amount of attention in the past two decades, as the tercentenary celebrations of the founding of the province led to a reexamination of the colony and state's contributions to the ethnic and religious diversity of modern America. With increasing pluralism, however, the religious group that was most prominent in the establishment of the province - the Society of Friends, or Quakers - declined in its impact and importance. This book examines the extent that changes in the world around them affected backcountry Quakers, by focusing on the activities of Exeter Monthly Meeting of Friends, based in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Friends within the realm of Exeter Monthly Meeting had to confront matters the Quaker founders of the province could hardly have anticipated, such as surviving as an ethnic and religious minority and reconciling their pacifist principles with constant threats of Indian attacks. Karen Guenther is Associate Professor of History at Mansfield University.
