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"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
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The Quaker Vote
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| Parent(s) |
Race
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| Contributor | RP |
| Last Edited | RP Apr 22, 2008 04:35am |
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| Category | General |
| Media | Magazine - Newsweek |
| News Date | Monday, April 21, 2008 08:15:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The British colony of Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn, a Quaker, in 1681 as a safe haven for the Society of Friends—at the time a persecuted sect. And though Quakers currently number less than 1 percent of the Keystone State's population, they hope to have an impact far beyond their numbers in Tuesday's Democratic primary.
In the years after Penn founded the commonwealth, Quakers dominated local government and politics. "Pennsylvania does have a tradition of listening to Quakers," says Steve Gulick, who has been a Friend for 30 years. "We have been very instrumental in pushing certain causes along."
Key among those causes is opposition to violence and warfare. With opposition to the war in Iraq growing, the society's antiwar advocacy is increasingly in the mainstream—particularly among Democratic primary voters. The faith's strong views on nonviolence are rooted in the "Peace Testimony," one of the Quakers' most important beliefs. |
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