| The first written protest against slavery in the New World was written and signed in the home of Thones Kunders on April 28, 1688. It was signed by Garrett Henrich, Abraham Up den Graef, Derick Up de graeff, and Francis Daniel Pastorius. They wrote that "there is a saying thatwe shall do to all men like as we will be done ourselves; making no difference of what generation, descent or colour they are". They had come to Pennsylvania for the freedom to worship as they saw fit. Why then would these same people who had suffered such great oppression oppress those "of black colour?" The protest was essentially a failure for slavery persisted in Pennsylvania for another 150 years. The protest itself disappeared until 1844. A photograph of the protest is held today in the Mennonite meeting house in Germantown, PA. The table on which the protest was signed is also held here. The site of Thones Kunders original home is marked by a historical plaque. A monument to the first German settlers and their protest against slavery is in Lincoln Park in Germantown, PA. |
