About William Penn
William Penn, an English writer and religious thinker who lived from October 14, 1644, to July 30, 1718, is thought to have had a net worth of $400 thousand. One of the most significant individuals in the colonization of what would become the United States was William Penn. On October 14, 1644, in London, William Penn was born. The Anglican Church, led by the King, had all other religious sects prohibited for blasphemy during Penn’s formative years in England, where he was the son of an Admiral. Penn, a free-thinking college student, believed that the rules were unfair and expressed his thoughts whenever he could, which greatly agitated his father at home and even landed him briefly behind bars.
He had a soft spot in his heart for the Quakers, who, in contrast to the Puritans, had no political objective. When he was detained at a Quaker meeting at the age of 22, Penn boldly proclaimed himself to be a member rather than evading the accusations by confessing he wasn’t. In response, his father kicked him out of the house and took away his fortune.
The Quakers on the Road
In an effort to meet others who shared his views, George Fox, the founder of the Quakers, and Penn went throughout Europe and England. Penn, who became Quakerism’s foremost theologian and legal champion against religious prejudice, offered a thorough exposition of the movement. In a letter to the Duke of York, the King’s heir, Admiral Penn acknowledged his son’s bravery for the first time as he lay dying. The Duke agreed and appointed the young Penn to the position of royal counselor.
Penn Accumulating Land in the U.S.
Penn offered the King a religious compromise in which English Quakers would immigrate to the newly colonized Americas. In 1677, Penn and a number of notable Quakers bought the colony of West Jersey. They acquired East Jersey in 1682 as well, combining the two under the name New Jersey. Admiral Penn owed King Charles 16,000 British Pounds, so when the younger Penn pressured the monarch for more land and demanded that it be named Pennsylvania in honor of his father, the monarch handed it to him.
Pennsylvania’s Political System according to Penn
Penn drafted a “Framework of Government” for the new colony in 1682, outlining the absolute freedom of religion as well as a charter of liberties that included the right to a jury trial, the freedom from unfair detention, and the right to free elections. Penn still had to do the other half of his task and now had to serve as the new province’s governor, city planner, and real estate promoter. Within six months, he had distributed 300,000 acres of property to more than 250 potential residents, drawing other persecuted minorities from all over Europe, including Jews, Amish, and Catholics.
Success of Pennsylvania
There were 18,000 people living in Pennsylvania in 1699, with 3,000 of them residing in Philadelphia. Urban areas grew, business expanded, and most crucially, religious variety developed. Insisting that Quaker grammar schools be available to all people, Penn helped Philadelphia become a leader in science and medicine by promoting literacy and intellectual conversation.
Eventually, Penn’s wife began to long for the easy life in England, and in 1701, he and his family moved back there. He was heavily in debt, but he persisted in protecting Pennsylvania from political corruption and charter conflicts until his death at the age of 73 in 1718.
