·
French
Born
·
Abolitionist
·
Tried
several different jobs, eventually becoming a teacher
o
Began
teaching in Germantown
·
Wrote
several books stressing the importance of education
·
Is best
known for educating students with no access to traditional schools
·
In 1713
he helped refugees from Nova Scotia find jobs and get educated, despite
criticism from other quakers
·
Moved to
Philadelphia in 1731 and became a schoolmaster
o
Taught
Quaker children
·
Did not
believe in black inferiority unlike many white men at the time
·
Taught
slaves and free blacks the same lessons at night in his home
·
In 1754
he left his job at Friends English School of Philadelphia to open the first
public girls school in America
o
Benezet
devised a special plan for a blind girl who attended the school, so that she
could have a typical schooling experience
·
Because
of Benezet, the Quakers opened a school for free blacks in 1773
o
Negro
School at Philadelphia
§
Accepted
slave children when there were not enough free blacks to fill the classrooms
·
In 1767,
wrote that, through his time working with blacks, he found them to be just as
capable as whites, which was an uncommon belief in society at the time
Works Cited
Anthony Benezet. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2017,
from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p248.html
Quakers in the World. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23,
2017, from http://www.quakersintheworld.org/quakers-in-action/60
