Quakers have always been known for their humanitarian activities. They condemned war and, instead, emphasized peace. They have been among the leaders in promoting racial equality, in prison reform, and in the treatment of mental patients. They stressed the importance of education and the high quality of their schools is known abroad. The Quakers were friends of the Indians and opposed slavery. In 1787, no Quaker was the owner of a slave. Some friends travelled to the Northwest Territory because they would not live among slave owners. The Quakers became active leaders for freedom and justice for the Negro people, insisted on teaching Christianity among the slaves, and treated the Indians in a peaceful and lawful manner.
Quakers use a congregational type of government that is simple and is made up of local worship and business meetings. Business meetings are moderated by a clerk. After a time of waiting in silence, the clerk states a problem for the members, who give the clerk their suggestions for consideration that, luckily, can resolve the problem. This continues until everyone is satisfied that his or her position has been heard and considered. No votes are taken. The Quakers meet for Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly Meetings. The earliest Yearly meetings began, with the exception of England, in New England (1661), Ireland (1669), Maryland (1672), The Netherlands (1677). All doctrinal and administrative questions are presented and all decisions made at the Yearly Meetings.
The Society of Friends has had a loose organizational structure. The Society has permitted a considerable amount of freedom to its regional Yearly meetings. The freedom has caused numerous worship and spiritual patterns. Differences of opinion among the Quakers over matters such as doctrine arose in the 19th century. Elias Hicks, a Quaker minister, challenged the authority of the bible and the historical Christ. Those who sided with Hicks were known as Hicksites and the rest of the society became known as Orthodox Friends, and a movement was begun to ease the Society's formality and discipline.
The Quakers have always been a small group. Membership totalled about 200,000 in thirty countries in the 1980's. The most Friends are found in the U.S., where there are about 117,000 members in 1100 congregations. Yearly meetings in Africa total about thirty-nine thousand members, Great Britain and Ireland total about twenty-one thousand members. These are the largest groups. There are groups in Canada, Australia, Central America, and New Zealand.
The international organization of the Society is the Friends World Committee for Consultation, an Inter-Yearly Meeting committee. It's purpose is to promote communication through conferences, intervisitation, and publication. It was set up in 1937 and is located in Birmingham, England. Other groups that have been established in recent years include the Five Years Meeting of Friends, the Friends General Conference, and the Association of Evangelical Friends. These groups have been set up with the intention of strengthening the Friends' membership on both individual and corporate levels. Today the modern-day Society is a dynamic group, moved by ecumenical concern.