Quakers, or members of the Religious Society of Friends, are groups of Protestant Christians who generally believe in the individual’s proximity to God. This is described in The Last Runaway as “Inner Light,” a common Quaker method of describing the connection between God and believers. Quakerism first emerged following the English Civil War (1642-1651), assigned the term “Quakers” due to their commandment to “tremble at the word of the Lord” (Fox, George. George Fox: An Autobiography. 1694), as dictated by Quakerism founder George Fox.

Quakerism grew more prominent in England and America during the 18th and 19th centuries, though they frequently faced religious persecution in these places. Certain British colonies in America, such as Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, were more amenable to Quakers than others; Pennsylvania was established by Quaker William Penn in 1682 and had Quaker principles written in the commonwealth’s laws. Support of and opposition to the American Revolution caused a split amongst American Quakers, who largely supported pacifism.

Quakers were often involved in abolitionist movements; though Quakers commonly participated in enslavement in the early colonial era, this became rare by the early 18th century. The Society of Friends petitioned Congress to abolish slavery in 1790; their petition was denied.