Impact Of William Penn On Religious Freedom

Pennsylvania colony had about 6 different Native American tribes. Pennsylvania is one of the Atlantic coast colony. The Pennsylvania became a colony in the year 1681. The religion that Pennsylvania had was Quaker. The purpose of the Pennsylvania is for Quakers did not have strict rules. Pennsylvania is also called Penn Woods. Also Penn Woods was named After Admiral

The biggest motivation in Penn and Winthrop was their views on religion and how it should be carried out in the community. Penn was one the few and first to believe in religious toleration and freedom to worship any religion without the fear of persecution. The Quaker communities would welcome all forms of religion such as Baptism and Evangelism while the Puritans would be very secluded. The Puritans thought any other religion would bring in vile thought and immoral ideals that would affect their community. Puritans would discourage any other form of religion which made them a very isolated, homogenous, group of people. Penn's views would also shape the future government of the United States.

Quakers- those who condemned extravagance, sought to restore Christianity to its early simple spirituality; William Penn made Pennsylvania a refuge for his fellow Quakers who refused to pay taxes or serve in the military for the Church of England.

Many historians think about how Pennsylvania had a big impact on the United States that we call home today.Pennsylvania was one of the first thirteen colonies which also means it was one of the first states to come up with laws.The reason Pennsylvania had such a big effect on the United States history is that our ancestors made fairly good decisions but they also made bad decisions.When William Penn founded Pennsylvania in 1681 on what was known as the Quaker religion. When people look at the history Pennsylvania they see the good things our ancestors chose to do when it came to setting up the thirteen colonies, but what most people overlook is the bad things they chose to do like how they slaughtered thousands of Indians at one time.So with

This paper will explore the history of the colonial settlements of the Quakers, who are also known as the Society of Friends, who settled in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in colonial times. The history surrounding the establishment and growth of the Quaker colonies of West Jersey and Pennsylvania will be discussed. William Penn’s efforts in establishing the colonies of West Jersey and Pennsylvania were paramount to Quakers immigrating to America. John Fenwick also played a major role in founding the colony of West Jersey, which is now known as New Jersey and the later immigration of Quakers to Pennsylvania. The abolitionist efforts of the Quakers in their fight against slavery, their equal treatment of slaves and the assistance that they provided to slaves will also be discussed. Quakers provided shelter, financial support and harbored many slaves so that they could avoid capture by their owners. Quakers were a large part of the abolitionist movement in the colonies while slavery was legal. Many Quakers played a role in the Underground Railroad, which assisted slaves in obtaining their freedom and avoiding capture. The terms “Quaker” and Society of Friends are interchangeable and will be used throughout this paper accordingly.

With proprietary rights, Penn was allowed to create the constitution for the colony which he called, Frame of Government of Pennsylvania. This law code immediately stood out from the previous two because of the religious freedom that it allowed. As a Quaker who experienced persecution himself, Penn created an environment of religious toleration for people in the colony of Pennsylvania as long as they worshiped God. Rather than focusing on maintaining proper worship, Penn's law code was implemented to promote civic order and emphasize the rule of law to avoid the types of persecution that were being experienced in England. This is not to say that the laws did not involve religion at all. In fact, the preface to the laws clearly states that the laws are divinely inspired and that all power comes from God. Furthermore, Law thirty-four requires that all government officials, "shall be such as possess faith in Jesus Christ…" (Reader, p.44) In other words, to be an official in Pennsylvania, or to even vote for an official, one must be a professed Christian. This suggests that the laws will pertain to upholding Christian beliefs and obeying a covenant with God in order to avoid his wrath. A clear example of this can be seen in law 37 when it says, "the wildness and looseness of people provoke the indignation of God against a country." (Reader, p.45) So,

After establishing the last English colony during the seventeenth century, William Penn sought ways to create a safe haven for those who suffer from religious persecution in Europe. Additionally, William Penn also pictured a place of equality in which colonists and Indians can live in harmony while enjoying their religious freedom. William Penn might have considered his colony in Pennsylvania as his “holy experiment” because he wanted to try something different and test out new things within his colony such as establishing a place where there is religious freedom and equality. Furthermore, William Penn was an active member of the Society of Friends, Quakers, and his participation with the group helped him develop the concept of his “holy experiment” along with helping those who faced religious persecution.

The original Pennsylvania colony was founded in 1682 by William Penn, when the king owed Penn’s father a large deal of money so he gave him land in the New World. Penn used the land to create a new colony so that people who belonged to one of the many religions that were being heavily persecuted at the time would have a place to go. Most of the people of the people that came to Pennsylvania were Quakers that had nowhere else to go. Though the colony did have religious freedom, it was lead by and the majority of the rules were set by Quakers. It was a very strictly run colony, as the Quakers were very intolerant of immorality, so activities like drinking, gambling, and lying were banned, to the point that owning cards or dice was illegal. While

Many places around the world, did not have religious freedom. If you lived in England during the 1600’s, you had to practice at the Church of England. Many people did not want to practice this religion because it was not their own. William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, was a

Dissatisfaction with the lot of the Quakers in England led William Penn to undertake the founding of Pennsylvania. Similar concern for English Catholics was a factor in Cecil Calvert's founding of Maryland. And many colonists in Pennsylvania and North Carolina were dissidents from Germany and Ireland who sought greater religious freedom as well as economic opportunity.

The colonial capital was called New Amsterdam and was built in the mouth of the Hudson River. The colonies welcomed Europeans from Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, France, and Spain to live in their colonies. Settlers traded goods with Native Americans from the tribe Iroquois. Colonists also traded with the Delaware confederation. In 1644 England took control of the Dutch colony in the middle Atlantic region. They split the land giving each side one name New Jersey and New York (old New Amsterdam). Quakers also moved to the land. Quakers were a society of friends that left their countries to seek religious freedom. One of the most important Quaker was William Penn, he founded the colony of Pennsylvania. He believed in freedom of speech and his colony would stand above the differences of religion. Penn kept good relationships with the Indians. The middle Atlantic colonies were starting to take

The Quakers believed in the Bible as their truth. They believed in direct comunication with God himself. This is exprssed by George Fox in the statement, "Christ is come to teach his people himself.” They constantly preached their truth. This causes tension in Pennsylvania, where they resided, because the others in the community got tired of the Quaker’s preaching.

Regarding the New England and middle colonies, there were many similarities, as well as differences. They all had reasons for founding whether it was for religious and social composition, and political development. Main reasons for founding the earliest settlements in New England had to do with religious commitment and devotion. Religion also played a huge role in the middle colonies. The middle colonies had more agriculture than the New England colonies.

Charles II of England granted William Penn the right to start a democratic proprietary colony in Pennsylvania as a way of repaying a debt he owed Penn's father; William Penn needed this colony in order to create a haven of religious tolerance an take himself and his fellow Quakers away from the persecution they faced in England as a result of their refusal to participate in the army (they were pacifists) and their refusal to pay taxes that would go towards the Church of England.

The Quakers of New England had strong convictions. After persecution of Quakers began, William Penn looked to the New World. William Penn was given land in the New World by the king who was repaying a debt to William’s father. The Quakers of the Middle Colony Pennsylvania would have friendly interactions with the Indians. This interaction was only possible because of their strict pacifism. Pennsylvania became very liberal due to the Quaker beliefs. No person would be taxed by a state church. Quakers also were tolerant of others. Thus, anyone of any faith could be a resident and worship in Pennsylvania. The Quaker pacifism was also extended to capital punishment. Few crimes were punishable by death. Through the Quakes’ beliefs, Pennsylvania became a hub of acceptance. Being of the most diverse colonies, the Middle Colonies were also impacted by a religion that was vastly different to those in the Chesapeake and New England colonies in the