In the 17th century, a young man named George Fox was dissatisfied with the Church of England and its Nonconformists. The Church was dictatorial and considered anyone who went against it a heretic. It often followed that with punishment that sometimes involved getting burnt at the stake.
Tired of the Church's ways and seeking a direct spiritual experience for himself, Fox concluded that the presence of God could be found within people rather than in churches, and that's the belief the Quaker religion is built on. Like any Nonconformists religion that defied the sovereignty of the Catholic Church, The Quakers didn't go unpunished. Yet, they have thrived to this day, have two US presidents under their belt, and were known as early abolitionist and champions of women's suffrage.
In this book, Rufus Jones details the faith, practice and history of The Quakers, and it's one that will leave you inspired.