Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
This book explores the Society of Friend's Atlantic presence through its creation and use of networks, including intellectual and theological exchange, and through the movement of people. It focuses on the establishment of trans-Atlantic Quaker networks and the crucial role London played in the creation of a Quaker community in the North Atlantic.
Synopsis
Cultural, economic, and political networks formed the early modern Atlantic world into which the Society of Friends ventured within the first decades of its existence, developing networks through which to meet its goals: spreading the faith and supporting dispersed Quaker communities. During the development of these networks, London was the seat of government, banking, foreign trade and printing. Being in London gave Quakers access to political bodies, to centres of commerce and shipping, and to an extensive printing industry. This book argues that the advantages of London's position as a national and international city enabled the creation of systems of exchange of correspondence, print materials, and supplies needed to survive in the colonies as well as for the movement of people to the colonies and back to London. London Quakers were in a strong position to effectively create and formatively participate in a trans-Atlantic community.