Sarah Mapps Douglass / Quakers & Social Justice / Arch Street Meeting House

Sarah Mapps Douglass, also, Quakers and Social Justice, also, Arch Street Meeting House. . , Sarah Mapps Douglass , Sarah Mapps Douglass (1806-1882) was a Black Quaker, anti-slavery activist, artist, and educator. A free and affluent family, the Douglass' worshiped at Arch Street during a time when seating was racially segregated. Although Quakers are often credited as the earliest abolitionists, most meeting houses and Quaker schools were segregated. Several letters emphasize Douglass' frustration with the hypocrisy of many white Quakers in Philadelphia, with one letter explicitly stating: "I believe they despise us for our color." Douglass and her mother were founding members of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society, and together, they fought for racial equality in education., [Captions:] , In 1833, Sarah Mapps Douglass decorated letters with paintings of plants and flowers. In this poem she writes: ,

"No marvel woman should love flowers, they bear , So much of the fanciful similitude , To her own history; like herself repaying With , such sweet interest all the cherishing , That calls their beauty or their sweetness forth; , And like her too – dying beneath neglect."

, Douglass' letters are considered to be the earliest found examples of signed paintings by a Black woman., Quakers and Social Justice , 1688: Francis Daniel Pastorius writes the Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery. , 1701: William Penn signs the Charter of Privileges, ratifying religious and political freedom in Pennsylvania. , 1737: Benjamin Lay criticizes wealthy Philadelphia quaker enslavers in his pamphlet "All Slave-Keepers That Keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates". , 1776: The Philadelphia Yearly Meeting bans its members from participating in the institution of African enslavement. , 1831: Sarah Mapps Douglass, a Black worshiper at Arch Street, helps found the Female Literary Association, a literary society for Black women. , 1838: Quakers Sarah and Angelina Grimké attend the anti-Slavery Convention of American Women at Pennsylvania Hall. , 1876: Quaker Susan B. Anthony advocates for women's voting rights at the Centennial Celebration at Independence Hall. , 1917: The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is founded to help civilians during World War I; AFSC makes care packages at Arch Street to send to Europe. , 1948: Quaker civil rights leader Bayard Rustin lectures at Arch Street, criticizing the U.S. nuclear program. , 1970: Arch Street houses attendees of the Revolutionary People's Constitutional Convention, organized by the Black Panther Party. , 1972: The House of Umoja holds peace talks between rival Philadelphian gangs at Arch Street. , 1979: Activists plan the National March on Washington, D.C. for Lesbian and Gay Rights at Arch Street. , 2010: Occupy Philadelphia protesters camp on Arch Street grounds and fight for national economic justice., Arch Street Meeting House , Museum and Place of Worship, Visit With Us. Interested in exploring the Arch Street Meeting House? Check our website for visiting hours and information about our exhibits: www.HistoricASMH.org.,

Museum Hours: Thu. - Sun., 10 - 4 , Grounds: Every Day, 9 - 5

, Worship With Us. The Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia, the vibrant community of Quakers who worship here now, has roots dating back to Pennsylvania's founding.,

Quaker Worship: Wednesday Evenings; Sundays, 10:30 am