Benjamin Lay
Benjamin Lay (January 26, 1682 – February 8, 1759) was an Anglo-American Quaker humanitarian and abolitionist. He is best known for his early and strident anti-slavery activities which would culminate in dramatic protests. He was also an author, farmer, vegetarian, and distinguished by his concern for the ethical treatment of animals.
Benjamin Lay | |
|---|---|
Benjamin Lay painted by William Williams in 1750 | |
| Born | January 26, 1682 Copford, Essex, England |
| Died | February 8, 1759 (aged 77) Abington, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Shepherd, glove-maker, sailor, merchant, writer |
| Spouse |
Sarah Smith
(m. 1718; died 1735) |
| Official name | Benjamin Lay (1682–1759) |
| Designated | September 22, 2018 |
Born in England, into a farming family, his early trade was as a shepherd and glove-maker. After running away to London, he worked as a sailor, and in 1718 moved to Barbados. Here he witnessed the horrific treatment of enslaved Africans, which instilled in him his lifelong abolitionist principles. Lay later settled in Philadelphia with his wife Sarah Smith Lay, and was made unpopular among his fellow Quakers by his confrontational anti-slavery stance.
He published several pamphlets on social causes during his lifetime. His 1737 book, All Slave-Keepers That Keep the Innocent in Bondage: Apostates, was one of the earliest North American works against slavery.