Home      Contact Salem Focus at   salemfocus@comcast.net

Text Box:                                Quakers in Salem In the 17th Century, Quakers were not wanted anywhere in New England, and Salem was no exception. The term Quaker was first introduced by George Fox (1624-1691), the founder of the movement. He urged believers to “tremble at the word of the Lord.”   Quakers were harassed, beaten and sent packing in some New England communities. In Boston, on June 1st, 1660, Mary Dyer was actually hanged on Boston Common because she was an outspoken Quaker.   Quakers were banned from the Massachusetts Bay Colony by the officials in Salem. In 1630, Constable John Woodbury was tested when a number of Quakers demonstrated against the Puritan domination by attempting to break up church services. Salem Quakers also protested against the vanities of dress by the Puritans. Quakers ran naked down Essex Street in protest of what they disapproved of in the Puritan colony. If a Quaker was convicted of three offenses, that person would get the death sentence. Records fail to show that anyone in Salem was ever executed. Many, however, were expelled from the town.   In the 19th Century, Salem author Nathaniel Hawthorne was both fascinated and embarrassed by his ancestors’ actions against Quakers, “witches” and Indians.   Quakers at the very least were treated as pariahs, and at the worst were hanged in New England in colonial times. Despite their difficulties, many Quakers remained in Salem. There is even a Quaker cemetery on Essex Street.   It is interesting to think about the interaction of the 17th Century Quakers with the Puritans. The contrast between the 21st Century and the 17th is dramatic to say the least. Today we know the Society of Friends as peaceful members of a diverse society. It is hard to imagine any resentment toward them by other Americans.   But 17th Century New England was far from diverse. One can easily understand how the zealous enthusiasm of the Quakers for their religion would rankle the rigid, unyielding Puritans in the virtual theocracy that was Salem.       Courtesy of www.multied.com/TheColonies/Quakers.html