John Woolman's Undyed Coat

In the 1750s, a prosperous New Jersey shopkeeper named John Woolman closed his ledger book, stepped out from behind his counter, and began walking away from his thriving business. Not because it was failing — because it was succeeding. The more his trade grew, the more entangled it became with the labor of enslaved people, and Woolman could no longer reconcile his Sunday prayers with his Monday profits.…