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Importance Of William Penn And The First Amendment

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William Penn and the First Amendment The First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…”. William Penn was a well-educated man who was native to England and was imprisoned there due to his radical religious beliefs. He got released from prison because of his father, who was a respected and wealthy admiral in the Royal Navy. Penn also established a colony based on the ideas of religious liberty, equality, and self-government which served as the foundation of America’s constitutional rights to a secular government wherein all citizens may freely practice their religious beliefs. These ideas still impact the government’s inaction concerning citizens’ religious practices. Although William Penn was sent to jail because of his beliefs, he played a part in creating the key principals of religious toleration and he also put his ideas into real world practice in a colony he created, which is now known as Pennsylvania. Penn’s colony played a key role in the creation of the First Amendment. There are two parts to the first and most important Amendment, the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause, both of which allow citizens to practice a religion of their choice instead of going to a state church against their will. Penn was one of the first people to support religious freedom and he made a colony where people could practice a

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