▁volunt arily ▁for ▁a ▁period ▁of ▁time ▁( typ ically ▁four ▁to ▁seven ▁years ), ▁in ▁return ▁for ▁free ▁passage ▁to ▁the ▁colon ies , ▁room ▁and ▁board ▁and ▁clothes , ▁and ▁training ▁in ▁an ▁occupation . ▁After ▁that , ▁they ▁received ▁c ash , ▁cl othing , ▁tools , ▁and / or ▁land , ▁and ▁became ▁ordinary ▁sett lers . ▁ ▁The ▁Qu aker ▁Pet ition ▁Again st ▁S la very ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 6 8 8 , ▁four ▁German ▁Qu akers ▁in ▁Germ ant own , ▁a ▁town ▁outside ▁Philadelphia , ▁wrote ▁a ▁pet ition ▁against ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁slaves ▁by ▁the ▁English ▁colon ists ▁in ▁the ▁nearby ▁coun tr ys ide . ▁They ▁presented ▁the ▁pet ition ▁to ▁their ▁local ▁Qu aker ▁Me eting , ▁and ▁the ▁Me eting ▁was ▁sympath etic , ▁but ▁could ▁not ▁decide ▁what ▁the ▁appropriate ▁response ▁should ▁be . ▁ ▁The ▁Me eting ▁passed ▁the ▁pet ition ▁up ▁the ▁chain ▁of ▁authority ▁to ▁Philadelphia ▁Year ly ▁Me eting , ▁where ▁it ▁continued ▁to ▁be ▁ignored . ▁It ▁was ▁arch ived ▁and ▁forgotten ▁for ▁ 1 5 0 ▁years . ▁ ▁The ▁Qu aker ▁pet ition ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁public ▁American ▁document ▁of ▁its ▁kind ▁to ▁protest ▁sla very . ▁It ▁was ▁also ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁public ▁declarations ▁of ▁universal ▁human ▁rights . ▁While ▁the ▁pet ition ▁was ▁forgotten ▁for ▁a ▁time , ▁the ▁idea ▁that ▁every ▁human ▁has ▁equal ▁rights ▁were ▁regularly ▁discussed ▁in ▁Philadelphia ▁Qu aker ▁society ▁through ▁the ▁eigh teenth ▁century