The Beginning of Pennsylvania

William Penn was a Quaker from England who thought that religion didn't need an established church, but is best described as a personal relationship with God. He had an idea for a society where that would be acceptable.

When Penn's father died, he inherited a large estate and a claim of £16,000 from the king. Instead, the king granted him a sizeable parcel of land in the New World, and he went there to start his colony.

From the start, Penn offered fertile land, freedom of religion, and peace. He advertised his colony in many languages and managed to attract 1000 people to it by the first year, along with several thousand more “squatters” already living on the land. The settlers lived peacefully with the Indians, and were on such good terms that they sometimes hired the natives as babysitters.

The capital of Pennsylvania was, and still is, Philadelphia (meaning City of Brotherly Love). This was an exceptionally well-designed city, with wide, tree shaded streets, docks, and many brick and stone houses.