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William Penn

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English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, early Quaker and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania (1644-1718)

William Penn was an influential Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonial era. He was known for his advocacy of democracy, religious freedom, and his amicable relations with the Lenape Native Americans. Penn wrote numerous works and was imprisoned several times due to his faith, but his ideas inspired the framing of the U.S. Constitution.

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Occupation

Colonial proprietor

entrepreneur

philosopher

politician

theologian

writer

About the William Penn

William Pennwas an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonial era. Penn, an advocate of democracy and religious freedom, was known for his amicable relations and successful treaties with the Lenape Native Americans who had resided in present-day Pennsylvania prior to European settlements in the state.

In 1681, King Charles II granted a large piece of his North American land holdings along the North Atlantic Ocean coast to Penn to offset debts he owed Penn’s father, the admiral and politician Sir William Penn. The land included the present-day states of Pennsylvania and Delaware. The following year, in 1682, Penn left England for what was then British America, sailing up Delaware Bay and the Delaware River past earlier Swedish and Dutch riverfront colonies in what is present-day New Castle, Delaware. On this occasion, the colonists pledged allegiance to Penn as their new proprietor, and the first Pennsylvania General Assembly was held.

Penn then journeyed further north up the Delaware River and founded Philadelphia on the river’s western bank. Penn’s Quaker government was not viewed favorably by the previous Dutch, Swedish and English settlers in what is now Delaware, and in addition to this, the land was claimed for half a century by the neighboring Province of Maryland’s proprietor family, the Calverts. In 1704, the three southernmost counties of provincial Pennsylvania were granted permission to form a new, semi-autonomous Delaware Colony.

As one of the earlier supporters of colonial unification, Penn wrote and urged for a union of all the English colonies in what, following the American Revolutionary War, later became the United States. The democratic principles that he included in the West Jersey Concessions and set forth in the Pennsylvania Frame of Government inspired delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia to frame the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified by the delegates in 1787.

A man of deep religious conviction, Penn authored numerous works, exhorting believers to adhere to the spirit of Primitive Christianity. Penn was imprisoned several times in the Tower of London due to his faith, and his book No Cross, No Crown, published in 1669, which he authored from jail, has become a classic of Christian theological literature.

Frequently Asked Questions

William Penn was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonial era.

William Penn was an advocate of democracy and religious freedom, and he was known for his amicable relations and successful treaties with the Lenape Native Americans in Pennsylvania.

In 1681, King Charles II granted a large piece of his North American land holdings along the North Atlantic Ocean coast to Penn to offset debts he owed Penn’s father.

In 1682, Penn left England for what was then British America, sailing up Delaware Bay and the Delaware River. The colonists pledged allegiance to Penn as their new proprietor, and the first Pennsylvania General Assembly was held.

Penn’s Quaker government was not viewed favorably by the previous Dutch, Swedish and English settlers in what is now Delaware, and the land was also claimed for half a century by the neighboring Province of Maryland’s proprietor family, the Calverts.

The democratic principles that Penn included in the West Jersey Concessions and the Pennsylvania Frame of Government inspired delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia to frame the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified in 1787.

William Penn was a man of deep religious conviction and was imprisoned several times in the Tower of London due to his faith. However, his book ,No Cross, No Crown,, published in 1669, has become a classic of Christian theological literature.

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William Penn

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About the William Penn

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was William Penn?

What were William Penn's key beliefs and accomplishments?

How did William Penn acquire the land that became Pennsylvania?

What happened when William Penn arrived in Pennsylvania?

What were some of the challenges William Penn faced in Pennsylvania?

How did William Penn's ideas influence the U.S. Constitution?

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46 Quotes by William Penn