The bulk of Volume 1 talked about John Woolman and William Penn, both Quakers. The only thing I knew about Quakers is a) that they're sometimes referred to as "Society of Friends" (which I rather like) and b) they're dedicated to social betterment and pacifism. I'm not a religious person at all, but I can respect this.
The Journal of John Woolman was fascinating. It was a social justice text, advocating abolition and wanting equality for all. Like Ben Franklin's Autobiography, it seemed to lack an ego, but instead, discussed becoming a better person - spiritually and morally. Perhaps this was a theme in Volume 1: great men through force of will and intellect wanting to improve the world.
One of the stories that stuck with me is how, when a young man working as a clerk, Woolman had to write a bill of sale for a slave. This event sickened him and he became a crusader against one of the worst wrongs in the New World. I didn't realize that some (a few) Quakers were slaveholders themselves, and that quite rightly upset Woolman and he helped push against slavery over 100 years before a war almost destroyed the United States over the issue.
The Journal was the first of many books in the Harvard Classics that I felt a sense of shame over. I'm in my 30s and just *now* heard of John Woolman? I felt like I screwed up somewhere in my journey of education. Despite being an atheist, Woolman's work was powerful to me. I later learned that the Journal has been continually published since 1774, only behind the Bible. What a great man I wish I had learned about in my formative years.
William Penn is an interesting guy. I knew he was the namesake of the state of Pennsylvania and was one of the first people calling for unification of the colonies. But that's about it. I also learned he's not the Quaker Oats logo. His Fruits of Solitude was a collection of sayings and maxims, about everything from marriage to friendship to being a better person in the Quaker way. Compared to Woolman's Journal, Fruits of Solitude was easier to read and remember and could reach a wider audience like Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac.
Penn himself had laid the groundwork for a lot of what we should be thankful for. Those controversial rights we have like freedom of religion and trial by jury? Thank Penn for that. Unfortunately, Penn died broke in England, despite having left behind a state where Quakers could thrive in the Colonies. Like most good men, they got taken advantage of by business partners. I felt bad reading that after finishing Fruits of Solitude. He was an idealist, and one of the best our country has had.
The Journal of John Woolman was fascinating. It was a social justice text, advocating abolition and wanting equality for all. Like Ben Franklin's Autobiography, it seemed to lack an ego, but instead, discussed becoming a better person - spiritually and morally. Perhaps this was a theme in Volume 1: great men through force of will and intellect wanting to improve the world.
One of the stories that stuck with me is how, when a young man working as a clerk, Woolman had to write a bill of sale for a slave. This event sickened him and he became a crusader against one of the worst wrongs in the New World. I didn't realize that some (a few) Quakers were slaveholders themselves, and that quite rightly upset Woolman and he helped push against slavery over 100 years before a war almost destroyed the United States over the issue.
The Journal was the first of many books in the Harvard Classics that I felt a sense of shame over. I'm in my 30s and just *now* heard of John Woolman? I felt like I screwed up somewhere in my journey of education. Despite being an atheist, Woolman's work was powerful to me. I later learned that the Journal has been continually published since 1774, only behind the Bible. What a great man I wish I had learned about in my formative years.
William Penn is an interesting guy. I knew he was the namesake of the state of Pennsylvania and was one of the first people calling for unification of the colonies. But that's about it. I also learned he's not the Quaker Oats logo. His Fruits of Solitude was a collection of sayings and maxims, about everything from marriage to friendship to being a better person in the Quaker way. Compared to Woolman's Journal, Fruits of Solitude was easier to read and remember and could reach a wider audience like Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac.
Penn himself had laid the groundwork for a lot of what we should be thankful for. Those controversial rights we have like freedom of religion and trial by jury? Thank Penn for that. Unfortunately, Penn died broke in England, despite having left behind a state where Quakers could thrive in the Colonies. Like most good men, they got taken advantage of by business partners. I felt bad reading that after finishing Fruits of Solitude. He was an idealist, and one of the best our country has had.
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