Study Questions
1. What were the principal beliefs of the early Quakers, and why were they persecuted?
2. What were the customs and practices in the colonies that John Woolman particularly condemned? What did these behaviors have in common?
3. What did John Woolman mean by the words “scramble” and “cumber,” and why did he condemn both? What did he mean by the “inner plantation”?
4. According to William Penn, what is the essence of a good marriage—and what force is most likely to undermine true love?
5. Why did John Woolman write: “the seeds of great calamity and desolation are sown and growing fast on this continent”?
1. What were the principal beliefs of the early Quakers, and why were they persecuted?
2. What were the customs and practices in the colonies that John Woolman particularly condemned? What did these behaviors have in common?
3. What did John Woolman mean by the words “scramble” and “cumber,” and why did he condemn both? What did he mean by the “inner plantation”?
4. According to William Penn, what is the essence of a good marriage—and what force is most likely to undermine true love?
5. Why did John Woolman write: “the seeds of great calamity and desolation are sown and growing fast on this continent”?