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The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) began in the mid-17th century. The 18th century was thus the first full century of Quakerism. There are many aspects to the development of Quakerism in the 18th century, of which we will here only touch briefly on some of the more important ones, with an emphasis in developments on the American continent.
Consolidation
By the time of the 18th century, the initial explosion of Quakerism on the world scene had run its course. With the notable exception of Margaret Fell, most of the key figures of the first generation of Friends had died before the beginning of the 18th century. Thus, it is not surprising that there was reduced evangelical effort and increasing emphasis on preserving the testimonies and values of Quakerism.
The distinguishing marks of the Christian life as understood by Friends became consolidated into a discipline enforced upon members and sometimes interpreted fairly narrowly. Most obvious to outsiders was the transformation of a concern against ostentation and vanity in dress into the adoption of a standard form of dress, almost a uniform - the "plain dress" with the use of bright colors strictly proscribed. Margaret Fell unsuccessfully protested this as "a silly, poor gospel." But while we may see this period as one in which the deadly hand of legalism was felt, we must also realize that the discipline upheld high standards of moral behavior and protected against undue compromise of basic Christian principles.
While the plain dress and other strictures of quietist Quakerism made Friends a "peculiar people," the strict integrity and high ethical standards of Friends also helped them prosper. Friends businesses were popular because people knew they could count on being treated fairly by Friends, and that the word of Friends was dependable. The cliche is that Friends sought to do good and did very well. Friends became prominent in retail trades, industry, banking and shipping.
Organization of Friends into bodies meeting at different frequencies and with different functions began well before the 18th century began. However, it was still somewhat rudimentary, and even formal membership did not exist until well into the 18th century. By the end of the 18th century, three groups of Friends with special functions were fairly clearly defined - ministers, elders and overseers. While the key figures of the first generation of Friends were mostly ministers engaged in evangelistic work, by the end of the 18th century the key group was the elders whose principal concern was the faithfulness of the members.
