author
John Woolman
1720–1772
A quiet but powerful Quaker voice from colonial America, he is remembered for speaking against slavery long before abolition became a wider movement. His Journal has endured as a moving record of conscience, faith, and everyday moral courage.
1 Audiobook
The journal, with other writings of John Woolman
by John Woolman
About the author
Born in New Jersey in 1720, John Woolman was a Quaker minister, writer, and early abolitionist whose life was rooted in simplicity, prayer, and a deep concern for justice. He worked at ordinary trades, including tailoring and shopkeeping, yet became widely respected for the seriousness with which he tried to live out his beliefs.
Woolman is best known for traveling to preach among Friends and for urging people to reject slavery and the slave trade. He also spoke against luxury, war, and cruelty to animals, believing that spiritual life should shape the smallest daily choices as well as the biggest public questions.
His best-known work, The Journal of John Woolman, remains the main reason readers continue to discover him today. Written in a plain, direct style, it offers both a portrait of colonial Quaker life and an intimate account of one person trying to follow conscience faithfully until his death in York, England, in 1772.