Each video is taught by expert instructors who walk you through each step. Just prior to the Civil War in 1860, my Quaker x3 Great-Grandparents William & Louisa Worth-Clark migrated w/their 12 children from (soon to be Confederate) Guilford, North Carolina to Economy, Indiana (my family was there until 2003). The Wyoming Valley Massacre, and the popular narrative that Frances Slocums family was initially spared because they were pacifist and friends with the Indians, perhaps is not the real truth. But every morning, she got up and steeled herself for another day of endless labor in the dingy garage sewing room as armed guards, equipped with baseball bats, guns and knives, circled the premises. For the seventeenth century, this is a very unusual statement. But in the seventeenth century, the concept of race, as we know it, did not exist. Kim couldnt believe how many people were rumored to live and work there. Healthy and the Anti-Slavery Society Conventions, Mt. February 2022 There is documentation that predates 1688 as far as slavery in the Plymouth Colony! God seeth thee though no one pitieth thee. Its not like no one knew about the existence of the shop. But we cant whitewash our own history, or we risk repeating it. And during the movement for abolition, sewing circles continued to serve as a place for women to exchange ideas and talk about political work. Marottas appeal was accompanied by another letter written in Dutch Creole and also signed by several other Black Moravians on Saint Thomas. Oxford University Press.]. But once they were freed nine days later, the workers still lacked the paperwork that would allow them to legally live and work in the U.S. We thought all the workers should remain together and in this country, and should be able to have their story told, says Gennaco. The exhibition itself provoked controversyit prompted pushback from the California Fashion Association and other groups as well as a number of members of Congress who worried that its exploration of modern-day sweatshops could shed negative light on the garment industry. Victoria and Albert Museum National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. This graphic was created for Neighborhood Fiber Company following Novembers presidential election. So slave owners created the ideology of Protestant supremacy, which used religion to justify slavery. Well still probably be sitting quietly in the sewing room and doing our needlework., The Riot Grrrl feminist punk movement of the 1990s brought new political significance to DIY culture, encouraging feminists and others to take up crafting in order to resist corporations. While the family was still in Rhode Island in 1774, they had enslaved people, both native American and African, living in their house, most likely caring for young children, including Frances, who would have been born the year before. As our society becomes increasingly aware of the lasting effects of White supremacy, its important to think about where Whiteness comes from. February 2020 Scholar Bernard A. Cook wrote that at the time, the right for women to bear arms was seen as an insult to the physical superiority and fashionable difference between men and women, because armed women, for reasons of comfort and gender subversion, often dressed like men and wore male symbols, such as the red cap of liberty.. Chris Buchanan They met at one another's houses for lunch, conversation and. But thats certainly not what it meant to the enslaved men and women who fought hard to be baptized. Chris DeSimio Richard DeBaptiste and Mt. Reparations are certainly necessary, and they will not negate our historical complicity. Photo courtesy of Library of Congress. The entire event will be taking place online. The population is mostly Persian-speaking Muslims, with a Zoroastrian minority. Things could have developed differently. As the following document suggests, women's efforts were varied. Clarkson and others carried on the fight to end slavery itself. In The Sewing Circle my interests in physicality and social analysis come together with my budding curiosity about womens circles. Cups and saucers, ewers, pillows, and handbags were just a few of the items produced. Twelve years later, lawmakers refined their definition of Whiteness further. This letter went into more detail about the problems facing enslaved Christians: The White planters beat and injure us when [we learn] about the Savior, they wrote. George Washington had family links to the Balls of Barbados, a Quaker family. FRAGMENTS is his manifesto for diversity and social intervention. Her husband, Steven Sussman, adopted her children, and they had another child. She has indeed come up with some new energy for finding truths. nts, Marmaduke Cooperof the founding Cooper family of Camdenowned slaves in the 1780s and was read out of meeting when he refused to sell them. How wonderful, it is to know the truth, especially about the Quakers involvement in slave Trade and how the race supremacy started. The other option, which we didnt find acceptable, would have been to keep them in detention. Betsy Ross (1752-1836) was an upholsterer in Philadelphia who produced uniforms, tents, and flags for Continental forces. Advertising Notice July 2021 child though no one seeth thee. Its capital would be in Havana, Cuba and its influence would extend over southern North America into Mexico territory, Central America, much of the Caribbean, and parts of . These publications excluded black and poor women, instead establishing the face of needlework as white and middle class. 3. Twenty-five years later, Rotchana Cheunchujit, now married with the surname Sussman, recalls the seemingly endless workload at the factory, where she sewed blouses and other garments. Civilization. Instead of reading Quaker abolition back in time, I thought it was important to understand how these slaveholding Quakers fit into their own time. that would keep them from rebelling or cutting any Mans Throat. The implications here are clear: Conversion would make slavery safer; it would make enslaved people less rebellious. Christians are superior in that we are called, chosen, and saved. Youre entitled to minimum wage, youre entitled to be free, and to have the labor laws apply to you no matter your status. He remains in awe of the victims courage. Freedom Center Lecture, Feb. 6: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence, Six Acres Bed and Breakfast-Zebulon Strong House, Dr. Mathias Williams: Early Settler of College Hill and Abolitionist, Mt. It is written, You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. Probably free from all the present World Hypocrisies. 7. In the case of this particular family, composed of the Slocums and the Tripps, there is a lot of information in the historical record because shortly after the Wyoming Valley Massacre, 5 year old Frances Slocum was kidnapped and later became a national sensation when she was found as an old woman in Indiana, ther widow of a Miami chief. This enormous empire would have a diameter of 2,400 miles. June 2021 There is also an article that I just found online about Paul Cuffee, a man born on Cuttyhunk Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, who was one of 10 children of a freed slave who became the weathiest black man in America. John Getz December 2020 During this time, as women sewed overtly political messages and images on banners and quilts, The quilt became a political agent for temperance women, Sapelly told the NewsHour Weekend. A friend in a neighboring town recently said to us, Our Sewing Circle is doing finely, and contributes very much to keep up the agitation of the subject. At the same time, you will learn and practice a repair technique. That Lay was as disappointed in Philadelphias slave-owning Friends as he had been in Barbadian Friends, becomes clearer also. Blog We often take Whiteness as a given, but it has a very specific history. The early Quakers, though persecuted, lived within the system and ultimately overcame the system. Theodorus Johannes is a filmmaker and photographer, researcher and storyteller. Corinne Segal. I have found some disturbing information about the Slocums and the Tripps in the course of my research. Thank you for this excellent work. August 2018 When I first read this I could not understand why this was so. It was settled in 1627, and colonists soon began to plant tobacco and then sugar. Families and churches would hold spinning bees, competing to see who could create the most yarn. In response, the English colonists took drastic measures: They executed the enslaved rebels, tortured others, and rewarded the informants. As I began to investigate this issue further, I looked beyond the Quaker records to the archives of Protestant denominations: members of the Church of England (Anglicans) as well as other smaller denominations, like the Moravian Church. She recently opened her own vegetarian Thai restaurant in Arcadia, California. In turn, I have sent her a link to your article. While he did urge Quakers to consider manumission, he did not call for an end to slavery as a practice. Other episodes take place on the 3rd and 24th of February, the 17th of March, and the 7th and 28th of April. I do also commend Ms Gerbner for taking a closer look into these matters of Christianity vs slavery; and then the political development of racial distinction. In 1997, a group of retailers that had sold the clothing made at the sweatshop settled multiple civil lawsuits for more than $4.5 million, which was used to compensate the workers for back pay. Discovery claims extended to areas surrounding settlements and the full watershed of discovery mouths of rivers. On the island of Saint Thomas, for example, Moravian missionaries and Black converts were beaten and attacked by White colonists. Those Philadelphia Quakers in 1688 knew that the mercantile system, based on the unpaid labor of enslaved people, worked quite well for everyone else. Site by. Photo by Michael Perez. I am confident it will elaborate on the points you wrote about in your article and I am hopeful some of these topics I brought up might be covered as you elaborate on the complex way slaves were used to build Quaker wealth. The Sewing Circle was a euphemism used to describe sapphic Hollywood. Thanks so much for the light you are bringing to this important issue. In 1995, he finally got a tip that led to the location of the factory. As specifics revealed themselves, it became clear that this group made up almost half of the anti-slavery societies nationwide in 1826, membership of the aggregate was estimated at 2,500 (all able to vote, representing about 1/3 the vote for John Quincy Adams in the 1824 election, and freed as many as 3,500 slaves. Think of the Silk Road that has been in use since the 5th century BC for the trade in fabrics. The slaves would often conduct their own worship services, where they could freely worship the Lord. Nathaniel Greene, a Quaker, was a general in American War of Independence under George Washington. I have been researching a group of Quakers who settled in the Wyoming valley, Pennsylvania in the 1770s from Rhode Island. First discovery- first European country to discover lands that were unknown to the other European countries. Ill start with the missionaries. Taylor Payne of the Yarn Mission, a knitting collective. Thank you. 10. While the language is opaque, the conclusion is clear: The Philadelphia Quakers rejected the antislavery 1688 Protest. The first line reads: We having inspected ye matter, above mentioned, and considered of it, we find it so weighty that we think it not expedient for us to meddle with it here. She also famously said, "I am at heart a gentleman . Evidence 2: One Woman's Anti-Slavery Activities, 1836-1839 (click to print) Introduction A significant number of women, like Mary Avery White of the rural community of Boylston, Massachusetts, answered the call to action published in the "Ladies Department" article. . Speakers include embroiderer, photographer and collector of traditional Jordanian and Palestinian dresses Fatima Abbadi (talk) and filmmaker, photographer and researcher of Dutch regional costumes Theodoor Johannes. And in fact, much of scholarship about Foxs visit to Barbados debates whether his remarks were proto-antislavery or not. Thank you for this short, touching article. Protestant missionaries drew on biblical descriptions of slavery as well as the ideal of the godly household to encourage slave owners to allow enslaved people to convert. There is a very strong indication that the family held not only at least one African enslaved person, but also a Native American enslaved person when they were attacked. For decades, knitting and sewing had provided a path to political involvement for women but also one that maintained traditional gender roles. His short documentaries focus on fashion as a complex but powerful form of communication, where themes such as identity and authenticity are examined and discussed. Surrounded by mountains on the north and east, it has a cool climate and frequent sandstorms in the autumn and spring. The mere fact that the first painting shows tobacco leaves has to say something to that truth. It naturalizes race and allows us to forget that Whiteness was created in order to legalize and justify inequality. Here is liberty of conscience, w[hi]ch is right and reasonable; here ought to be likewise liberty of ye body. 4. On the other end of the racket, nationwide and regional retail chains like Millers Outpost, Mervyns, Montgomery Ward and others had sold clothing made in the compound. I cant go anywhere. Investigators also learned more about S&K Fashion, a small Latino-staffed factory in downtown Los Angeles that had served as a front for the larger operation fueled by Thai labor. During this era, Womens role as buyer of the family goods became pivotal in colonial resistance. Cups and saucers, ewers, pillows, and handbags were just a few of the items produced. At their height, there were more than 50, most of which were formed at the urging of Benjamin Lundy. As Pennsylvanias social and economic structure developed, ties with the West Indies and other trade outlets flourished. I was excited to write about it. I have not yet read your book. .. there is an epistle he wrote in 1657, To Friends beyond the sea, that have Black and Indian slaves in which he highlighted the importance of equality in the Quaker faith. Federal agents broke down the front door, then stormed in. Since by 1778, Quakers had made holding slaves a violation of Quaker statute, I sometimes wonder if they perhaps went to Pennsylvania in order to take their slaves with them from Rhode Island. The instructions are for intermediate to advanced . This post has been updated to reflect that colonial-era spinning bees were held to create yarn. Then she heard the axe. The El Monte sweatshop case exposed a web of corruptionand the enslavement of more than 70 Los Angeles-area garment workers. Instead, Quakers like George Fox were radical because they suggested that Blacks and Whites should meet together for worship. March 2023 Fourteen years ago, when I began research for my book Christian Slavery, I wanted to understand this abolitionist history better. Terms of Use But as I quickly learned, this was only part of the story when it comes to Quakers and slavery. How did their views compare to other European Christians who encountered slavery? Increased enforcement of immigration laws gave sweatshop managers added ammunition with which to threaten vulnerable workers. I have had on my mind whether Quaker slave owners used slaves to build meeting houses and schools. As I looked closer at the 1688 Protest, however, I became less interested in the petition itself than in the last linea line that was added not by the authors of the Germantown protest, but by the Quakers who represented Abington (Dublin) Meeting and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. People have different versions of how this all came to the attention of the authorities, says Michael Gennaco, an assistant U.S. Attorney specializing in civil rights who prosecuted the case. July 2020 For the now former prosecutor, the El Monte case is an opportunity for education and understanding of the simple fact that if you come to America, even without papers, it is against federal law to exploit you. . I used to work at Pomona Hall in Camden, NJ. We can and should remember those abolitionist Quakers and learn from them. Experiences that are bound by time and place are translated into patterns, colors and textures, and find their way all over the world. I just read Mrs Dred Scott and was surprised that Dred Scotts owners were Unitarian. Negro Woman who sittest pining in He too, was a Quaker. One of the descenda Get the latest on what's happening At the Smithsonian in your inbox. For those of us who identify with the Quaker traditionas I dothis history invites us to think about what it really means to combat oppression. As it turns out, I had passed the site of its creation hundreds of times as I traveled to school down Germantown Avenue. Dating from the 1820s, the curators at the V&A attribute the design of the abolitionist reticules to Samuel Lines (1778-1863) and the production to the Female Society for Birmingham, originally called the Ladies Society for the Relief of Negro Slaves. Wilberforce, Lay, Woolman, Cuffee, Dred Scott, Frederick Douglas, all must be remembered and studied. Mon [Mar] 16 Mr Sanford called a meeting for the cause of the Slave to be held at the vestry this evening. Even if it turns out slaves were not used in the direct building of the schools and meeting houses, surely the money their work earned for the Friends who owned them was. Two of Manasurangkuns sons fled the U.S. and were never apprehended. This was very unpopular among slave owners. The 1688 Germantown Protest, as it is often called, was the first document in North America to denounce slavery. . With the creation of Whiteness, slave conversion became less threatening. The Thai Community Development Center and other groups helped them find lodging and jobs. The Library of the Religious Society of Friends. As leftist groups in France planned to overthrow the monarchy, they rallied around the red Phrygian caps, liberty caps, which were based on hats that emancipated slaves wore in ancient Rome. In defiance of British taxes on textiles and other products, women in the colonies eschewed British-made clothing by creating homespun cloth. While several variant images can be found printed on a similar silk bags, all have the same verse from Hymns in Prose for Children by Anna Letitia Barbauld (1743-1825), first published 1781 (Cotsen Childrens Library English 18 21076). Its just wonderful to behold, he says. shall be deemed a Freeholder.. The garments she and her fellow prisoners made were sold at big-name stores all over the countryemblazoned with the coveted Made in the USA label. The workers there had been lured to the United States from Thailand by captors who tempted them with promises of money and prosperity, then forced them to toil around the clock to earn their freedom. By boycotting British fabrics and reverting to intensive domestic textile manufacture, women stood ready to contribute equally toward the Revolution, Laura Sapelly wrote in her in her Pennsylvania State dissertation Pedagogies of Historical and Contemporary American Sewing Circles.. The ticketsale will end 3 hours before the start of the event and then you will also receive the link to the online environment. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness., I found the article very interesting. Christianity is no exception. The Sewing Circle (In Dutch: De Naaikrans), organized by the Feminist Needlework Party in collaboration with Atria, is a seminar, spa experience and sewing circle all rolled into. : Ten Principles of the Doctrine of Christian Discovery Subscribe to Here's the Deal, our politics newsletter. 6. Her mission is to build bridges between these worlds, so that we can understand each other better and create mutual respect. My ancestors were early settlers of an area of Bristol County, Massachusetts, that was originally part of the Town of Dartmouth but is now known as Westport. February 2021 newsletter for analysis you wont find anywhereelse. The Sewing Circle sometimes met at the house of Dolores Del Rio, then married to Cedric Gibbons, the MGM art director. I decided to ask different questions. That Quakers, even those of us who find agreement with George Foxs revelation, should have a hard time overcoming their love of making money is not surprising, and , definitely, slavery was/is about making money. I knew my family (fathers moms side in particular), were Quakers for many, many generations, until 1910ish maybe? Why does it take a white person, a scholar, to tell us (white people) the same historyand even more recent racist events that Friends of color have shared, and yet we give such weight to the words of this white scholar? It included information on sweatshops and residential piece workworking conditions that had become largely illegal thanks to the tireless work of unions and consumer groups and the passage of New Deal laws in the 1930s. I began to dig deeper into the seventeenth-century Quaker world. Kaleidoscope quilt. This also means confronting the uncomfortable aspects of Quaker history. Branchville suffered a ruinous boll weevil blight that killed King Cotton and brought the whole region to its knees. What did Quakers in the 17th century believe about Baptism? People work really hard and they are dying to work. he says. Restoration Project Its quite fascinating. March 2019 [They] burn our books, call our baptism the baptism of dogs, and call the Brethren beasts.. Women also used needlework to create uniforms for soldiers during the Revolution, though some found unexpected uses for the craft. Photo by Flickr user Angela Sevin, For much of American history, Women were limited in lots of areas of public activity. Martin Luther King Jr. said it well, they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I had never considered the idea of Protestant Supremacy. Nothing new. They passed an act that forbid Quakers from worshiping alongside enslaved men and women. Find an overview of all the events here(in Dutch). members of the Church of England (Anglicans) as well as other smaller denominations, like the Moravian Church. Grandfather William had sold off the slaves prior to the move (which made good moral & business sense) & had 3 boys of war age. I have been researching a group that went into Virginia and had early Quaker roots but may not have been practicing it formally. This is an uncomfortable past, but its a past that needs to be brought into the light. I look forward to reading your book. But again, when we focus on antislavery, we miss an important distinction. One could argue that this is a form of slavery (or equivalent abuse) at arms length. I have been thinking about the topic of Quakers and slavery for some time now. According to Barbadian law at the time, he would be eligible to vote in elections and, at least hypothetically, run for office if he could acquire enough property. After discovery indigenous nations and peoples based on European law, lost their full property rights and ownership of land. There are certain things you dont bring to the yarn store, she said. Thank you for your article. Recent marches such as the Womens March on Jan. 21 and the March for Science on Saturday have brought knitting into the international spotlight and lured newcomers to a symbol of activism that dates back hundreds of years. She still worked seven days a week and walked to and from work and school. Because of COVID-19, this event will take place online. The crucial point has to do with the reaction of other colonists on Barbados. , I wanted to understand this abolitionist history better. They noted that Christian slavery had a long and well-established history in Europe and the Catholic American colonies. Soon, she was out on the sidewalk with her roommates, dazed. According to the legend, she deviated from the 6-pointed stars in the design and produced a flag with 5-pointed . Along with two other postdoctoral fellows, she also helped organize Project Thinking Cap, which encouraged March for Science attendees to knit hats in green or blue shades. Anti-slavery fairs were meetings in the 1830s through 1860s where American abolitionists, particularly women, sold goods and distributed and discussed anti-slavery ideas. (US Supreme Court later declared that Indigenous people had lost rights on discovery as if they had been conquered in a just war) All her projects reflect her personal life and background. There was a large Quaker presence on Barbados, where thousands of Friends lived. But we need to remember where we have come from slavery to sin and all worthy of eternal damnation. But it's not surprising, this does require a person take at least 10 minutes to focus and pay attention, as opposed to a picture which requires 10 seconds and an agreement with OP. The overarching goal of Bickley's secret organization was simple, if not a little grandiose: to create a slavery-fueled empire known as the "Golden Circle.". The conditions they discovered were horrifyingand the workers ordeal went on to inspire local and federal anti-trafficking laws and garment industry reforms. The two-page letter is written in pencil. played a central role in the abolitionist movement, showing that Christianity, and Quakerism in particular, could be used to support emancipation. At the time, no visas were provided for victims of crimes, and on the day of the raid, the workers were taken into custody by immigration officials. November 2019 Thank you so much for this amazing article. In her artistic-journalistic projects she investigates themes kaleidoscopically: artistic, social, scientific, philosophical and spiritual. Do you know the book, Fit for Freedom, but Not for Friendship? This was reproduced in his text of 1676 under the title, Gospel Family-Order, Being a Short Discourse Concerning the Ordering of Families, both of Whites, Blacks and Indians. June 2019 So he pushed for the museum to collect artifacts from the factory and the workers. This is so interesting and important. Discover the latest news and features from Friends Journal. As a result, they excluded most enslaved people from Protestant churches. From Trenton Monthly Meeting of Friends (PYM). The past is oft forgotten, even erased, as it can sometimes be troubling. We had a lot of long days and difficult times, recalls Liebhold, adding that the discussion ultimately made the exhibition better. Doug Hostetter, you're one admirable and compassionate SOB. He will hear thee. The Liberator, an abolitionist newspaper published by William Lloyd Garrison between 1831 and 1965, wrote on Dec. 3, 1847: Sewing Circles are among the best means for agitating and keeping alive the question of anti-slavery. The El Monte sewing room is crammed with tables and machines where 72 illegal Thai immigrants had been forced to work in virtual captivity. Katharine Gerbner is associate professor of history at the University of Minnesota. I still find it difficult to wrap my head around this whole idea of slavery, but it is interesting to see the issue from a different perspective. These documents reveal some misunderstood aspects of colonial slavery. But after the election, she sent an email to her stores listserv, saying that her business was opposed to policies of homophobia and xenophobia and white nationalism. She acknowledged that voicing the opinion could be risky for the business. Instigated by the descendants of Plymouth Colony and Boston Colony, carrying through the Missouri Compromise, the TRUE start of the Civil War!!! NMAH It was obvious the complex was carefully guarded.. German-born Dietrich was openly bisexual and referred to her female partners as her "sewing circle.". Kermn, also spelled Kirmn, city, provincial capital, and ostn (province), southeastern Iran.