Kailey Freeman-DePelisi
Professor Rosalind Beiler
HIS 3600
15 February 2023
An Analysis of Traveling Quaker Women
The essay “Companions in Preaching and Suffering” discusses the experiences of traveling female Quaker missionaries. Amanda E. Herbert highlights the difficulties these women experienced, as well as the tight-knit relationships formed by these traveling women. The author’s research question appears to be about how religious suffering impacted the female Quaker missionaries. As well as, how the relationships and bonds between these women helped them endure the dangers and harshness of travel and connect with their faith.
Herbert explains how the difficulties that these women endured while traveling were seen as something to be proud of. So much so, that their difficulties were highlighted in many written works these missionary women created following their travels, as well as by other Quakers. The essay also focuses on the relationships between these women. It is noted by Herbert that many of these female travelers deliberately chose to travel with other Quaker women rather than men. The author explains how sought-after these travel companions were and how they would offer each other emotional, mental, spiritual, and even physical support. So sought after were female companions that there was more than one instance where these traveling ministers found themselves accidentally kidnapped in pursuit of a suitable travel companion.
The author also discusses how Quaker individuals such as Sewel used the accounts and experiences of these traveling women ministers to gain pity from the public and to legitimize the Quaker faith in the eyes of others. The author explains how Sewel depicted these women as non-threatening and tried to show evidence that disproved common stereotypes. One Christian minister mentioned by the author said that these missionary women traveling were “nothing less than ‘a sinful neglect of their families and callings’”[1]. Many at this time shared the sentiment that a woman doing anything separate from her family was traitorous and anti-feminine. In response, Sewel emphasized these women’s maternal behaviors, including those of elderly women, a group frequently targeted even when they weren’t Quakers. Sewel also highlighted the assault and brutality experienced by these women by those outside of the Quaker community.
Sources used by the author include personal diary entries, autobiographies, and memoirs from the women who took part in missionary work. The author tends to use these more personal primary sources to offer examples of claims that she is making. Another specific source that can be seen as both a primary and secondary source used by the author was a history book written by Sewel who was a Quaker himself about general Quaker history. When discussing this history book though, the author explains the biases of Sewel and why he might have focused on certain aspects of the subject that he did. Sewel, as pointed out by the author seems to be attempting to garner more sympathy for Quakers from non-Quakers, especially when it comes to women. Herbert explains that “Sewel’s History was intended to prove that the people who called themselves Children of the Light were God’s particular chosen people”[2].
The author also uses more recent secondary sources about Quakers from experts in the field. One that specifically catches the eye was a book from 2004 about the dreams and visions of Quakers. The author even included sources on same-sex relationships during the time and books with other niche subjects utilized by the author. Herbert often tends to use secondary sources to give information with the correct context. Something unique that Herbert does in her footnotes, is that she actually elaborates on more information that might be considered off-topic and tells readers where they can learn further on specific topics that she only touches on. By doing this, Herbert also makes the main part of her essay more readable.
Herbert explains that while other historians have discussed how this sharing and encouraging of suffering breaks from conventional practices of the time, Herbert situates and focuses on the impact and importance of this religious suffering on traveling Quaker women. While also focusing on the relationships developed by these women on these journeys.
[1] Amanda E. Herbert, “Companions in Preaching and Suffering: Itinerant Female Quakers in the 5Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century British Atlantic World,” Early American Studies, Vol. 9 (Winter 2011): 90. [2] Amanda E. Herbert, “Companions in Preaching and Suffering: Itinerant Female Quakers in the Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century British Atlantic World,” Early American Studies, Vol. 9 (Winter 2011): 84.
Bibliography
Herbert, Amanda E. 2011. "Companions in Preaching and Suffering: Itinerant Female Quakers in the Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century British Atlantic World." Early American Studies Vol. 9. (Winter 2011): 73-113.
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