Quakers is a general term for Friends, or members of the Religious Society of Friends. Quakers are pacifists or, as they refer to themselves, Children of Light. They seek conflict resolution through humane means, not violence. Their strong social beliefs were born from their acceptance of all people, regardless of race, sex or status. Christians, they believed all people were equal under God, with whom they stressed each individual should have a personal bond.
George Fox formed The Religious Society of Friends in England in approximately 1652, after he'd traveled for nine years searching for a religion suited to his beliefs and found none. By 1690, one year before Fox died, the number of friends in the society had grown to 60,000 in Britain alone. The style of the Quakers developed during this time period. In general, dress and dialogue were simple, complementing the gentle nature of their philosophy. This simplicity, they believed, represented one's honesty. Quakers also differentiated themselves while in Europe as being comprised of primarily female preachers.
West Jersey came under Quaker control in 1675, followed by East Jersey five years later. The Quakers were a new religion at the time and had difficulty finding an area in which to grow their communities. Ironically, two Quakers, John Fenwick and Edward Bylinge, purchased East and West Jersey in 1673 for only £1,000 from Lord Berkely, making it an obvious haven for the Quakers. Mismanagement resulted in both Fenwick and Bylinge returning the land to their creditors. William Penn was appointed trustee of both parts of Jersey. He helped outline the Quakers' first ideas of Quaker politics and society.
The Pennsylvania colony was founded by William Penn as well, as the name indicates. East and West Jersey were joined with Pennsylvania in a naturalization act. On Dec. 7, 1682, with an aim of guaranteeing liberty of conscience, the humanitarian code of Pennsylvania was created. Together the Quaker colonies were called the Quaker Province. The Pennsylvania economy included commerce, transportation, manufacturing and, primarily, agriculture. So culturally diverse in its time, Philadelphia was called the Athens of America.