I just read a wiki account of William Penn, the junior, a Quaker and the founder of Pennsylvania. When you have the chance, I encourage you to read it, too. (more after the jump)
wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/...
You might be surprised like I was to find that almost everything that is great in America can be traced back to Penn's political and religious theories as well as his governance. From religious tolerance, to the inherent equality of men (and women), protection of minority rights, checks and balance in government, a living constitution that can evolve through amendments, trial by jury of peers, and many more that I've missed. Penn was among the first American progressive / liberal theorist and leader.
I was also surpised to learn about the rivalry between New England Puritans with Quakers, and there are echoes of that struggle today, where the Puritans are now represented by Republican conservativism. Wierd how history tends to repeat itself. It should be noted that in those early years, it was the idealism of the Quakers that influenced the founding fathers, or rather that the Founding Fathers were the early progressives that organized the American communities into a united force to fight against oppresion for Liberty. -As we are doing today. The odds then, during the Revolutionary War was formidable. So learn from history, and don't be too dispirited in our current struggle against the Republican Conservative agenda.