Today in History: On (o.s.) July 8, 1677, four Quaker women and one man staged a protest during Rev. Thomas Thachers Sunday sermon at Old South Church. According to member Samuel Sewall, It occasioned the greatest and most amazing uproar I ever saw. It began when a procession, led by Margaret Brewster of Barbados, entered our meeting house and moved toward the pulpit. A disheveled Margaret was wrapped in a sackcloth, her arms and legs bare, and her face covered with ash. The congregation cried out in horror, and the group was quickly arrested. At trial, Governor John Leverett asked of Margaret, Are you the woman who came into Mr. Thachers meeting house, with your hair frizzled, and dressed in the shape of a devil? Margaret pleaded for the laws against Quakers to be changed. In turn, the magistrates passed down their sentence - twenty lashes.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:22:15 +0000