Date:
Monday, 08/24/2026
Time: 7:00 pm
Category:
The Quakers—formally known as the Religious Society of Friends—were the first group of white Christians to confront slaveholding as a religious problem that demanded social action. But in the late 1600s, many Quakers were slaveholders themselves. It took energy and activism on the part of a small number of activists within this faith group to disrupt that status quo and steer their church towards an outspoken commitment to Black freedom. This lecture tells that story, focusing in on the 1688 Germantown Protest as well the later crusades of three 18th-century Quaker men—Benjamin Lay, John Woolman, and Anthony Benezet.
About the Presenter:
Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of the book Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home which was a finalist for the George Washington Prize and the Harriet Tubman Prize. He has held major research fellowships at Yale, Cambridge, and the Library of Congress and is the recipient of the National Endowment of the Humanities Public Scholar award and the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. His new book, “The American Revolution and the Fate of the World,” was published by Penguin in November 2025.
This is a Virtual (Zoom) Event. Scroll down to register or call the Library at 734-426-4477 (ext 120). A Zoom link will be emailed the day before the event.
