Lay, Benjamin, 1682-1759

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, an early vegetarian, and distinguished by his early concern for the ethical treatment of animals.

Born in England, into a farming family, his early trade was as a shepherd and glove-maker. After becoming a Quaker, he worked as a sailor, and in 1718 moved to Barbados. Here he witnessed the poor treatment of African slaves that instilled in him his lifelong abolitionist principles. Lay later settled in Philadelphia, and was made unpopular among his fellow Quakers by his strident anti-slavery stance, which would often culminate in acts of public protest. He published several pamphlets on social causes during his lifetime, and one book, "All Slave-Keepers That Keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates," one of the earliest North American works against slavery.