Benjamin Lay was born in Colchester, England in 1681. His parents, William Lay and Mary Dennis were both Quakers, as well as himself. Growing up to be a short man, height of four feet and seven inches, and also a hunched back. Soon after finishing basic education, Lay became an apprentice to a glove maker Worked in his brother’s farm until he went to sea. Returning home to be wed and eventually moving to London. Refused to drink tea or coffee, a committed vegetarian refusing any product made of animal, and also anything made by slave labor. He even went as far as to make his own clothing. He was always relocating because of his talkative and prying nature.
Throughout his life he was a very talkative individual to the point it annoyed and anger…
The worst part was that he was half-naked. As people went inside he would speak out to them that slaves were given light clothing but still had to work in these type of harsh, cold conditions. One incident was when he kidnapped a child and return him after the authorities came to his homes. He said that he wanted them to experience the feelings African parents had when their child was kidnapped and sold into slavery. He even dressed himself in a sackcloth attending church and staying still for the whole time. He wanted to inform people that amongst the Quakers that are attending there were those involve strongly involve in the slave trade.
In 1758 in the Philadelphia monthly meeting house it was decided that any Quaker who own or sold slaves should be forbidden from all business meetings and disown. The result would surely cause many people to free their slaves and stop with slave trade. Benjamin Lay was elated with the news to the point he said, “I can now die in peace.” He waited so long for some change in the Quaker society and now it has finally come. In 1759, Benjamin Lay died and they chose to bury him in the Quaker burial ground in Abington, near…
