Call Number:

MC.950.312

Repository:

Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections

Extent:

.01 linear ft. (1 box)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Ether Tuke sermon (HC.MC 950-312) Quaker and Special Collections, Haverford College, Haverford, PA.

Date:

ca. 1765 to 1776 (inclusive)

Creator:

Tuke, Esther, 1727-1794

Abstract:

Summary

Esther Tuke (born Esther Maud) was born in 1727, the daughter of Timothy Maud and Ann Walker of Bingley, Yorkshire, England. Working as a Quaker minister, she advocated for abolitionism, women's rights, pacifism, the uplifting of the poor, and other issues in accordance with her ideas of Quaker values. She married William Tuke (1732-1822) in 1765, and the couple had three children together: Samuel, Ann and Mabel. In 1785, she and her husband founded the York School for Girls on Trinity Lane. Esther died in York in 1794.

This unpublished exhortation was delivered to the York Quarterly Meeting in the period between 1765 and the 1770s. During this period, there was a debate among Quakers regarding their commitment to pacifism. In the American colonies, some Quakers were involved in the revolution through indirect non-violent ways such as embargoes. In England, Quakers on the other side of the revolution were similarly engaging in non-violent ways to exert pressure against the Colonies. In addition, due to their origins and close ties with Britain, many Quakers felt torn between the two nations therefore largely stayed out of the conflict. Tuke argued in her sermon that being involved in the American Revolution and the British opposition violated Quaker theological principles of non-violence (and financially benefiting from war) and unity of the Quaker community. As a result, a great number of Quakers were disciplined for their involvement in the war effort, including being disowned by their communities.

Single item