Those Americans who were members of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, professed the doctrine of "pacifism" as part of their religious beliefs. By that doctrine they could take no sides in any war nor take up arms in any cause and still remain members of their church. It was this belief, among others, that set them apart from the rest of society and caused them to be considered "different" by the majority. Their patron, William Penn, interceded on their behalf with the King of England in the 17th century and procured for them the colony of Pennsylvania, where they could settle and practice their religion with complete freedom. While colonists the Quakers "asserted loyalty to the throne while 'omitting declaration to their submission to the mother country'" (Gilpin 127). Yet, during the Revolutionary War there was some concern that the Quakers were not properly loyal to the emerging nation and some had been arrested in Philadelphia "to prevent their mischievous interposition in favor of the enemy" (415). During that same period many Quakers were arrested and sent away to camps in Virginia where "they would be none too kindly treated" (450).
In January 1776, the Quaker elders in Philadelphia issued "The Ancient Testimony and Principles of the People called Quakers" in which they said that "it was not the business of the Quakers to join in plots and contrivances, since the setting up and pulling down of kings and governments was God's special prerogative" (Mc Keel DAH 1360). In other words, they preferred to remain neutral. Both armies ignored their neutrality and seized Quaker homes and supplies at will. The colonial authorities in Pennsylvania in September 1777 "proceeded to round up a number of prominent Friends and send them off to exile in Virginia" (1361), hence the cause for Gilpin's essay in GLC 527.2. Thomas Gilpin was one of those Quakers exiled. While he was at Valley Forge, George Washington was asked to intercede in this affair by Mary Pemberton, the wife of one of these Quaker exiles. As befits his reputation as a fair and honorable man he was very sympathetic and did what he could on her behalf. (RG 527.2, collateral ).
Despite the sacrificing of their beliefs and risk of expulsion form the Society, many Quakers supported the Revolution while trying to avoid outright belligerence. Famous Quaker patriots like Samuel Wetherell, Jr., Clement Biddle, who was quartermaster at Valley Forge, and Betsy Ross, believed that "they were supporting the creation of a divinely ordained new order of society on the American continent" (1362). In 1789, after his election to the Presidency, "the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting took the occasion to present an address to President Washington, assuring him of the firm loyalty of the Friends"(1363). Washington replied with a "gracious statement of his high regard for the Quakers and the constructive role they played in society".
During the War of 1812, the state militias were relied upon to compose the forces to fight against the British. These militias had their origin in colonial times and became official United States policy under the Articles of Confederation. "because of the dangers posed by the Indians and the rival colonial powers, all the colonies that were to form the United States except Quaker Pennsylvania compelled their citizens to become part-time soldiers under universal military service laws applying to males of appropriate age" (Foner 47). James Madison had made an "unsuccessful attempt to include an exemption clause for religious objectors in the Bill of Rights. 'No person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms,' it stated, 'shall be compelled to render military service in person'"( Brock 156). (See also GLC 1129, Article V).
However, with war looming in 1812, a policy of national conscription was considered. Webster, among others, argued against it as being unConstitutional and a "matter for individual states to decide" ( Foner 214). Quakers, along with other "peace church members continued to resist military service and refuse payment of fines or war related taxes. As a consequence many, such as pacifists in Baltimore, had their property confiscated by local authorities" (214). It was this policy that prompted the petition that Secretary of State James Monroe refers to in GLC 43.06 and Madison's subsequent blanket pardon for the Maryland Quakers in 1816 (GLC 43.02).