Why were the Quakers important?

Answer 1

One answer is given in the linked question.

Quakers STILL exist as a Religious Society in the 21st Century.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/FAQ/8380

Answer 2

The Quakers, or "Religious Society of Friends", is a religious movement dating from c.1650. George Fox was said to be the movemnet's founder.

Quakers were Christians who felt that they did not need the intercession of the church, with its priests and bishops, to communicate with God.

So Quakerism has always been essentially an intellectual rejection of the institution of the church as being an instrument of social control.

But, being inherently intelligent, many Quakers frequently move on to the next logical step, namely the acceptance of Darwinism and Atheism. So Quakerism may be be viewed as a springboard to rationalism.

Answer 3

Historically they're important because the state of Pennsylvania was originally a Quaker colony. And spiritually they're important because everyone is important, no matter what their religion.

Answer 4

One of the more important contributions was in the area of ensuring religious freedom in the US (and also in Britain).

The following is from the Wikipedia entry for "The Religious Society of Friends"

"In the New Amsterdam colony (now New York), efforts by Peter Stuyvesant to suppress Quaker worship on Long Island led to the Flushing Remonstrance by Quakers and others. This led the Dutch to force Stuyvesant to allow Quaker worship and is one of the bases of religious toleration in the United States."

Answer 5

No