How Did William Penn Impact Society

William Penn, an English entrepreneur, had an unforeseen impact on the history of the United States of America. In the late 1600’s and early 1700’s, Penn had been already a champion for democracy, religious freedom, and anti-slavery movements. Through his good relations with both the nobility of England, and the Indians of Pennsylvania, Penn was able to secure an entire state for many years to come. Penn was born in 1644 at Tower Hill, London, the son of English Admiral Sir William Penn, and Margaret Jasper, from a Dutch family, previously the widow of a Dutch captain, and the daughter of a rich merchant from Rotterdam. William Penn, Sr. served in the Commonwealth Navy during the English Civil War and was rewarded by Oliver Cromwell with estates

in Ireland. The lands were seized from Irish Catholics in retaliation for the failed Irish Rebellion of 1641. Penn grew up during the rule of Oliver Cromwell, who succeeded in leading a Puritan rebellion against King Charles I; the king was beheaded when Penn was age 5. In 1660, Penn arrived at Oxford and enrolled as a gentleman scholar with an assigned servant.

Age 18, young Penn was sent to Paris to get him out of view, improve his manners, and expose him to another culture. Penn was then sent to Ireland in 1666 to manage the family landholdings. While there he became a soldier and took part in suppressing a local Irish rebellion. While Penn was abroad, the Great Fire of 1666 consumed central London. When he got back the reign of King Charles had tightened restrictions against all other religious sects than the Anglican Church. The "Five Mile Act" prohibited dissenting teachers and preachers to come within that distance of any borough. In 1677 a group of prominent Quakers that included Penn purchased the colonial province of West Jersey, and in 1682 East Jersey was purchased. Penn first called the area "New Wales", then "Sylvania", which King Charles II changed to "Pennsylvania" in honor of the elder Penn. On 4 March 1681, the King signed the charter and Penn then traveled to America. While he was there, he negotiated Pennsylvania's first land-purchase survey with the Lenape Indian tribe. Penn purchased the first tract of land under a white oak tree at Graystones on 15 July

1682. Penn also drafted the first draft of the Frame of Government of Pennsylvania, written in England. Next, Penn created a new form of government that would have two houses, safeguarding the rights of private property and free enterprise, and impose taxes fairly.

It would call for death for only two crimes, treason and murder, and all cases were to be tried before a jury. He has also promoted good treatment for slaves, and other Pennsylvania Quakers were among the earliest fighters against slavery. Over twenty drafts, Penn laboured to create his "Framework of Government.” Now time for some interesting facts you may not have known. Also Penn was delighted that the early purchasers of plots in his colony included no lawyers. There is a widely told, entirely apocryphal, story of an encounter between Penn and George Fox, in which Penn expressed concern over wearing a sword, and how this was not in keeping with Quaker beliefs. Fox responded, "Wear it as long as thou canst." Later, according to the story, Penn again met Fox, but this time without the sword. Penn then said, "I have taken the advice; I wore it as long as I could." Like other Colonial settlers who salivated to see wild “fox grapes” growing here in profusion, Penn was dying to make wine. He planted a vineyard in Fairmount and even imported a French vintner to tend

it. Alas, fox grapes made terrible wine. So, in conclusion the life of William Penn, was most commonly known for the establishment of the state of Pennsylvania, could also be referred to as the first great pioneer of American liberty. His beliefs on equal rights and religious toleration not only contributed to liberty in the Old World, but in the New World as well. In a time when religions persecuted one another for their beliefs, colonists were stealing land from Indians, and women had little to no rights.