Benjamin Lay: The Irrepressible Prophet
Quaker Leaders Essay Contest
1
“He was obstinate to excess, and toward those who opposed him, ungracious to a proverb. His
temper was violent, but it was always excited for mercy's sake, and in behalf of those who dared
not assert their own rights.”1
The above quote about Benjamin Lay demonstrates what would come to be identified in
nearly all writings about him: his fiery temper and outspokenness. He was not calm or eventempered when expressing his views, but as the quote says, uncompromising and stubborn on
issues he perceived as morally reprehensible, such as slavery. Lay’s outspokenness about the
injustice and immortality of slavery went against the popular sentiment at the time. After seeing
the conditions under which slaves were kept, every faculty of Lay’s mind “was exerted, to render
odious, not only in the opinion of the community in which he lived, but among mankind” the
institution of slavery.2 Benjamin Lay not only denounced slavery and the basis of inherent
inferiority on which it rested, but he actively worked against it, often through public spectacles
and brazen stunts. Lay differed from many other abolitionists, who undeniably had the same
goal, because of his unwavering commitment to the complete dismantling of the slave system
without regard to the feelings of those who owned slaves or were complicit in the institution.
While often discredited as eccentric, Lay’s unique methods were certainly successful in
garnering attention, and he ultimately attributed much more than he is credited for to the ultimate
eradication of the institution of slavery in the United States.
While the very tenants of Quakerism seem to oppose the institution of slavery, the
Religious Society of Friends was “deeply entrenched in and enriched by slavery.”3 Many Friends
did own slaves or were in some way involved with the slave trade. That is not to say that there
were not other Friends against slavery as well. The Religious Society of Friends had listened to
earlier messages from individuals such as George Fox, who had wrote a letter of caution “To
Friends Beyond Sea, that Have Blacks and Indian Slaves.” In the letter, Fox discussed the
1
Robert Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford (Richmond: Earlham
School of Religion: Digital Quaker Collection, 1815),
http://dqc.esr.earlham.edu:8080/xmlmm/docButton?XMLMMWhat=toc&XMLMMWhere=2&X
MLMMBeanName=toc1&XMLMMNextPage=/tocBuiltPageFromBrowse.jsp (Accessed 10
March 2015), 54.
2
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 18.
3 Ralph Greene and Benjamin Lay, Benjamin Lay: A Pioneer Quaker Antislavery Advocate and
Activist (Joshua Evans Trust, 2015), 91.
2
Quaker belief in equality of all people, not just whites, in the eyes of God. However, this did not
result in any meaningful change. Other abolitionists among the Religious Society of Friends
included Anthony Benezet and John Woolman, but none had the same level of urgency or
passion as Benjamin Lay.4 While Woolman merely spoke his thoughts, Lay interrupted meetings
and splattered Friends with fake blood, kidnapped the son of a slaveholder, and was even
disowned by the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.5 He was willing to engage in both public and
private admonition with all those who were in any way “implicated in the crime of enslaving
their species.”6 This fear of being exiled never dissuaded Lay, but many Quakers like Samuel
Woolman and John Woolman kept quiet out of fear of reprimand. Lay was willing to risk his
position in society and in his Meeting because of slavery, a practice he deemed immoral. Lay
was candid about his beliefs and unconcerned with sugarcoating his views: for him, this was not
an issue to be cautionary or delicate about.
To understand Benjamin Lay’s status as one of the earliest public advocates for the
emancipation of slaves, it is necessary to understand the experiences and circumstances that
shaped him. Benjamin Lay came from humble beginnings. He was born in 1677 in Colchester,
Great Britain into a poor family.7 His parents were members of the Religious Society of Friends
and thus Lay grew up as a Quaker.8 However, his parents did not have the resources to ensure
that Lay received formal schooling. Instead, he apprenticed as a glove-maker. At the age of
nineteen, he abandoned this pursuit and went to live and work on a farm owned by his brother.
After this, in order to satisfy the “leading inclination of his mind,” he went on to travel the world
as a sailor.9 In 1710, he met his wife, Sarah Lay, who shared his horrors at the atrocities and
barbarities of the slave trade. In 1718, the two moved to the island of Barbados where they lived
for ten years. It is there that Benjamin Lay witnessed scenes in which injustice and oppression
4
Greene and Lay, Benjamin Lay: A Pioneer Quaker Antislavery Advocate and Activist, 91.
Geoffrey Plank, John Woolman's Path to the Peaceable Kingdom: A Quaker in the British
Empire (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012), 101.
6 Lydia Maria Francis Child, Memoir of Benjamin Lay (New York: American A.S. Society,
1842), 10.
7
Greene and Lay, Benjamin Lay: A Pioneer Quaker Antislavery Advocate and Activist, 101.
8 Greene and Lay, Benjamin Lay: A Pioneer Quaker Antislavery Advocate and Activist, 101.
9
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 14.
5
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were practiced regularly against blacks as part of the institution of slavery. It is also the place
where he was “singularly enlightened” and began his crusade against slavery.10
In Barbados, a hub for the slave trade, Lay witnessed firsthand the horrors and evils of
slavery and the conditions under which slaves were kept. The year in which Benjamin Lay
moved to Barbados was a period in which the “slave trade was carried on, if possible, with more
intense cruelty, than at any previous or subsequent stage of its uniformly iniquitous history.”11
His utter shock and revulsion at the treatment of slaves inspired him to devote his life to speak
out against slavery and fight for abolition. Beyond just speaking out against slavery, Lay let his
life speak by treating the slaves he knew in Barbados with kindness and generosity. He invited
slaves over to his house and furnished them “gratuitously with simple and wholesome food.”12
The profound impact seeing the degradation of slaves had on Benjamin Lay is evident in his
book where he reflects on seeing slaves scramble for rotten food that his wife threw onto the
street, food that dogs would not touch, because their “poor bellies were so empty.”13 His
outspoken support for abolition and kind treatment of slaves did not go over well with slave
owners, who feared that Lay’s actions would incite a rebellion among the slaves.14 Sarah Lay,
who deemed Barbadian slaveholders prideful and oppressive and Benjamin Lay, dismayed at the
dim prospects of changing the minds of slave-owners, moved from Barbados to Philadelphia in
1731.
A hope for support for his views and the opposition he faced by slaveholders in Barbados
led Lay and his wife to move to Philadelphia.15 Lay hoped that Philadelphia would be a place
where his opinions would be well-received and reciprocated. However, while the slaves in
Philadelphia were treated more mildly than their “debased countrymen in the West Indies,” the
practice was still overwhelmingly common. Lay was not satisfied even with the milder treatment
of slaves, he was absolutely convinced that the “odious system of slavery was altogether
10
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 13.
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 17.
12
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 19.
13
Benjamin Lay, All Slave Keepers that Keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates, (Philadelphia,
Benjamin Franklin, 1737),
http://antislavery.eserver.org/religious/allslavekeepersfinal/allslavekeepersfinal.pdf.
14
Child, Memoir of Benjamin Lay, 11.
15 Child, Memoir of Benjamin Lay, 11.
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unrighteous,” no matter how the slaves were treated.16 He continued to criticize the custom and
as a result, was not received well in Philadelphia. Like in Barbados, Lay “found himself again an
almost solitary combatant in a field where prejudice and avarice, had marshaled their combined
forces against him.”17 Lay once again demonstrated his willingness to stand alone in his
campaign for emancipation in which he demanded abolition with no hesitation or regard for
whom he offended.
After leaving Philadelphia in 1732, Benjamin and Sarah Lay moved to Abington,
Pennsylvania and took up a more sedentary farming lifestyle. However, even in Abington, Lay
did not rest in his pursuit to eradicate evil by ending the institution of slavery. It is notable that
Lay was not only devoted to eradicating one evil but dedicated himself to other causes connected
“with the interests of civil society and the welfare of man.”18 He practiced temperance, selfdenial, and frugality. He led a basic life, drinking nothing but water and milk and subsisting on a
vegetarian diet. Lay would not allow himself to eat any food, wear any garment, or use in any
way an item that had involved slave labor.19 It is in Abington that Benjamin Lay began his career
of public spectacles, which worked to draw attention to the injustices of the slave system.
Lay’s mission to eradicate slavery, often by theatrical and disruptive means, earned Lay
further enmity among Quaker slaveholders.20 He would often intentionally disrupt worship and
strive to make slaveholders aware of the moral implications of their actions. Lay had a theatrical
talent to accompany his antislavery rhetoric and did not shy away from public spectacles to
spread his antislavery message.21 One of his most notable protests against slavery took place at
the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. During this protest, Lay denounced slaveholders, which in fact
included some of the leading members of the Meeting.22 He arrived at the Meeting dressed in
military garb, complete with a sword and carried a hollowed-out book that resembled a Bible,
16
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 23.
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 22.
18
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 38.
19
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 24.
20
Jean R. Soderlund, Quakers and Slavery: A Divided Spirit (Princeton: Princeton University
Press, 1985), 15.
21
Joe Lockard, “Introduction” to Benjamin Lay’s All Slave Keepers that keep the Innocent in
Bondage, Apostates (Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin, 1737),
http://antislavery.eserver.org/religious/allslavekeepersfinal/allslavekeepersfinal.pdf.
22
Soderlund, Quakers and Slavery: A Divided Spirit, 166.
17
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but actually contained a bladder of red juice. By one account, Lay addressed the congregation,
specifically slaveholders, with the following words: “Oh all you negro masters who are
contentedly holding your fellow creatures in a state of slavery during life… you might as well
throw off the plain coat as I do and thrust a sword through their hearts as I do this book.” He then
proceeded to stab the book and sprinkle “blood” upon the nearby attendees to symbolize the
slaves’ blood that stained the slaveholders’ hands.23 On another occasion, a cold winter day, he
stood outside a Quaker meeting, waiting in the snow with no coat and a bare foot. When
members of the Meeting expressed sympathy and concern for his health, he said that slaves were
made to work outdoors in the winter, dressed just as he was. Lay pointed out that while they felt
compassion for him, they did “not feel for the poor slaves in your [their] fields, who go all winter
half clad.”24 He recognized that in order to ensure that slaveholders see the error of their ways,
they needed to first recognize the slaves as their equals. In perhaps his most brazen stunt, Lay
kidnapped a slave-owner’s son by luring him to his cave under the guise of entertainment. When
the parents frantically asked Lay if he knew where there son could be, Lay calmly told them that
their child was safe with him, and now they may “conceive of the sorrow [they] inflict upon the
parents of the negroe girl [they] hold in slavery, for she was torn from [her parents] by
avarice.”25 For these spectacles, Lay was branded an eccentric and “a hermit prone to action
statements against slavery.”26 However, Lay’s tactics were provocative for a reason: Lay wanted
to ensure that the Quakers could not ignore his message and the realities of slavery.
In 1737, Lay released his only published work, All Slave-Keepers, That Keep the
Innocent in Bondage, Apostates. It is not the only antislavery text published, but it is one of the
“most vehement ever written.”27 However, surprisingly enough, it was not the contents of the
book that was the sole cause of public anger. Outrage also stemmed from the fact that Lay
published his book without the prior approval of the Overseers of the Press, who evaluated all
23
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 16.
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 28.
25
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 28.
26
Margery Post Abbott and Mary Ellen Chijioke and Pink Dandelion and John W. Oliver Jr.,
Historical Dictionary of the Friends (Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2003), 151.
27
Joe Lockard, “Introduction” to Benjamin Lay’s All Slave Keepers that keep the Innocent in
Bondage, Apostates (Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin, 1737),
http://antislavery.eserver.org/religious/allslavekeepersfinal/allslavekeepersfinal.pdf.
24
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writings by Friends before publication.28 Perhaps this was intentional, since the book surely
would not have been published given such oversight, as it criticized other Friends for the practice
of holding slaves. Instead, Benjamin Franklin printed Lay’s book. The contents of his book were
inflammatory, uncompromising, and unforgiving, not entirely out of character for Lay.
In his book, Lay condemned slavery and emphasized that the practice was “gross and
hurtful” and not in line with Quaker principles.29 He made clear that slavery infringed on the
Golden Rule and violated the Peace Testimony.30 The Peace testimony states that the Quakers
“deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons.”31 Lay constantly
questioned how Quakers could own slaves who had been captured violently and were constantly
subjected to cruel punishment and threats of violence to prevent uprisings, if Quakers supposedly
did not endorse violence as stated in the Peace testimony. Lay made clear that the entire
institution of slavery depended on violence. He questioned whether there could be a “plainer
contradiction, than for [Quakers] to refuse to bear Arms, or to pay them that do, and yet purchase
the Plunder, the Captives, for Slaves at a very great Price, thereby justifying their selling of them,
and the War, by which they were or are obtained?”32 Furthermore, slavery directly infringed on
the Golden Rule, which stated do unto others as you would have done unto yourself.33 Slavery
stood in direct opposition to this principle, slaveholders would forcibly retaining people in
unconditional servitude, while placing themselves in the position of power. Lastly, it directly
contradicted the Quaker principle that espoused the presence of God in all individuals, with no
regard to race or gender.
Mark Kaharas, “Benjamin Lay,” Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College, accessed
12 March, 2015,
http://trilogy.brynmawr.edu/speccoll/quakersandslavery/commentary/people/lay.php.
29
Benjamin Lay, All Slave Keepers that Keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates, (Philadelphia,
Benjamin Franklin, 1737),
http://antislavery.eserver.org/religious/allslavekeepersfinal/allslavekeepersfinal.pdf.
30 Brycchan Carey, From Peace to Freedom: Quaker Rhetoric and the Birth of American
Antislavery, 1657-1761 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012), 171.
31
“The Quaker Peace Testimony,” The Religious Society of Friends, accessed March 14, 2015,
http://www.quaker.org/minnfm/peace/
32
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 11.
33
Carey, From Peace to Freedom: Quaker Rhetoric and the Birth of American Antislavery,
1657-1761, 30.
28
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Lay’s book made many accusations against many Friends and The Religious Society of
Friends as a whole for being complicit in the slave system, and such accusations angered many
Quakers. The publication of Lay’s book without prior approval and its weighted accusations
prompted the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting to publically distance itself from Lay’s book and
from Lay himself. In 1738, Lay was officially kicked out of the Meeting, and the Meeting took
out advertisements in various newspapers to make it clear that Lay was not associated with the
Meeting or the Religious Society of Friends in general.34
Benjamin Lay’s tactics were in stark contrast to those undertaken by other antislavery
advocates such as John Woolman, who never publically criticized other Friends but instead
worked patiently to show slave-owners the errors of their ways. Lay had no qualms about
publically criticizing other Friends to illustrate the evils of slavery and condemn their complicity
with it. Lay would accept no compromise, and he was exceedingly impatient, at least when it
came to slavery. As Jean Soderlund writes, “[Lay] believed that God had manifested the Truth in
him and expected others to see the Light immediately.”35 He was unwilling to wait for slave
owners to give up their slaves, demanding and expecting immediate action from his peers. Thus,
he went to extreme lengths to convince slave-owners of the moral wrongs of their actions. Even
Friends who opposed slavery could not condone his extreme measures. He made no attempt to
judge the action without judging the person. Lay made clear that no slave owner was free of the
moral impact of their actions in owning slaves. He had no bounds and publically denounced
those that partook in the practice, whether they were his peers or not. However, occasionally
Benjamin Lay’s complete intolerance and lack of understanding of other’s mistakes left his
audience alienated and sometimes even less inclined to change their ways.
Even after the death of his wife and his own deteriorating health, Lay continued to
publish and circulate essays on the subject of slavery and speak of its injustice, both publically
and privately. On one occasion, he walked into the Oxford church and listened attentively to the
sermon, and when the sermon was over, Lay addressed the congregation by saying, “I do
not
approve of all the minister has said, but I did not come here to find fault with the
preaching; I
Mark Kaharas, “Benjamin Lay,” Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College, accessed
12 March, 2015,
http://trilogy.brynmawr.edu/speccoll/quakersandslavery/commentary/people/lay.php
35
Soderlund, Quakers and Slavery: A Divided Spirit, 17.
34
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came to cry aloud against your practice of slave-holding.”36 This incident is significant in that
it shows Lay’s commitment to eradicating slavery all together, not solely among members of the
Religious Society of Friends. He addressed other religious congregations to ensure that his
message was disseminated to a broader group of people. Throughout his life, he would never
waver from his message and disapproval of slavery and continuously let his life speak. When
Lay was invited to join a family for a meal, he noticed a slave standing near by. He immediately
departed from the house after announcing to the family, “I will not share with thee the fruits of
thy unrighteousness.”37 He was careful to never partake voluntarily or involuntarily in the slave
trade, or in slavery itself, by ever owning a slave or sitting with anyone who kept them.
Lay’s efforts made a deep impression upon the persons who heard or read what he had to
say. He acted from a sense of duty and subjected himself to a voluntary penance to draw
attention to the plight of slaves. His guiding motto, “do justly, love
mercy, and walk humbly
with your God,” directed his own life, which worked for the betterment of others, often at his
own deprivation. Lay was a constant advocate for the oppressed, unwavering in his commitment.
For this reason as well as his constant protests, Lay changed the course of the anti-slavery
movement among Quakers as well as in the United States itself. History has sometimes written
him off as an“eccentric,” but his action succeeded in drawing attention to the injustices suffered
by slaves. He shocked other Quakers into action and roused the consciences of those who had
been silent in the face of this blatant oppression and racism.
Lay continued to fight for the abolition of slavery until his passing in 1759. His efforts
encouraged the opponents to slavery that would take control of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
in the early 1750s.38 In 1754, the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting authored an epistle that
condemned slavery, citing the Golden Rule as a primary reason for opposition to slavery. 39 Lay’s
influence is seen in the decision of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting to officially take a stance
against slavery. Furthermore, not long before his death, the Religious Society of Friends
officially voted to disown any members who brought slaves or participated in the slave trade. It
36
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 34.
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 37.
38
Soderlund, Quakers and Slavery: A Divided Spirit, 15.
39 Mark Kaharas, “1754,” Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College, accessed 12
March, 2016,
http://trilogy.brynmawr.edu/speccoll/quakersandslavery/commentary/themes/1754.php
37
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is said that when Lay heard this, he cried out “I can now die in peace.”40 The slave trade was
officially ended in 1808 and in 1865, in the midst of the Civil War, the passage of the Thirteenth
Amendment officially ended slavery in the United States. Benjamin Lay paved the way for
reform and ultimately, many Quakers who had earlier rejected Lay’s radical views became
involved in the economic, educational, and political well being of the formerly enslaved.”41
Lay’s ability to change stubborn and long-held opinions through the force of his own
stubbornness and persistence led to his position as a catalyst for the growth of abolitionist
sentiment and action among Friends and non-Friends alike.
Benjamin Lay’s unyielding persistence in attempting to convince his fellow Quakers of the
true evils of slavery was ultimately his greatest impact. These eccentric actions seem justified as
no change would have come about had activists like Lay not constantly strived to make their
message clear. Lay’s willingness to stand alone against popular opinion is replicated in activists
today. For example, while her protest may not have been as brazen and targeted as one of
Benjamin Lay’s, former Senator Wendy Davis’s filibuster to block Senate Bill 5, showed the
same amount of resilience and unwillingness to stand down from what she thought was right as
Benjamin Lay.
It is often said that it takes bravery for an individual stand up to their enemies, but even
more to stand up to their peers. Benjamin Lay did both, unapologetically and fiercely. He stood
up to slaveowners and forced them to see the evils of their actions by undergoing physical harm
or isolation by the community himself. But even more striking, he also went up against his
religious community, the Religious Society of Friends, and his peers. With no concern for his
status within the community, Lay fiercely and unapologetically spoke his truth. This fierce
conviction in his views and willingness to defend them to both enemies and peers is just part of
what made Lay’s impact on the Religious Society of Friends and on activists today so profound.
40
Vaux, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, 51.
Mark Kaharas, “Benjamin Lay,” Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College, accessed
12 March, 2015,
http://trilogy.brynmawr.edu/speccoll/quakersandslavery/commentary/people/lay.php
41
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Bibliography:
Abbott, Margery Post and Chijioke, Mary Ellen and Dandelion, Pink and John W. Oliver Jr.,
Historical Dictionary of the Friends (Quakers). Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2003.
Carey, Brycchan, From Peace to Freedom: Quaker Rhetoric and the Birth of American
Antislavery, 1657-1761. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012.
Child, Lydia Maria Francis Child, Memoir of Benjamin Lay. New York: American A.S. Society,
1842.
Greene, Ralph and Benjamin Lay, Benjamin Lay: A Pioneer Quaker Antislavery Advocate and
Activist. Joshua Evans Trust, 2015.
Kaharas, Mark, “Benjamin Lay,” Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College, accessed
12 March, 2015,
http://trilogy.brynmawr.edu/speccoll/quakersandslavery/commentary/people/lay
.php.
Kaharas, Mark, “1754,” Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College, accessed 20 March,
2016,
http://trilogy.brynmawr.edu/speccoll/quakersandslavery/commentary/themes/1754.php.
Lay, Benjamin. All Slave Keepers that Keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates. Philadelphia:
Benjamin Franklin, 1737.
http://antislavery.eserver.org/religious/allslavekeepersfinal/allslavekeepersfinal.pdf.
Lockard, Joe, “Introduction” to Benjamin Lay’s All Slave Keepers that keep the Innocent in
Bondage, Apostates. Philadelphia: Benjamin Franklin, 1737.
http://antislavery.eserver.org/religious/allslavekeepersfinal/allslavekeepersfinal.pdf.
Plank, Geoffrey, John Woolman's Path to the Peaceable Kingdom: A Quaker in the British
Empire. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012.
Soderlund, Jean R., Quakers and Slavery: A Divided Spirit. Princeton: Princeton University
Press, 1985.
“The Quaker Peace Testimony,” The Religious Society of Friends, accessed March 14, 2015,
http://www.quaker.org/minnfm/peace/
11
Vaux, Robert, Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford. Richmond: Earlham
School of Religion: Digital Quaker Collection, 1815.
http://dqc.esr.earlham.edu:8080/xmlmm/docButton?XMLMMWhat=toc&XMLMM
Whee=2&XMLMMBeanName=toc1&XMLMMNextPage=/tocBuiltPageFromBrowse.js
p.
Watson, Karl, “Slavery and Economy in Barbados,” BBC, last modified February 17, 2011,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/barbados_01.shtml.
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