| William Penn was born in England
in 1644 of high social position. After receiving a good education
he shocked his family by converting to the Society of Friends,
better known as the Quakers. The Quakers believed that everyone
had an "inner light" of Christ, which was a considerably
radical viewpoint at the time. The Quakers held many other
beliefs that were considered equally radical, such as their
belief that children were born innocent, in other words, without
original sin. Women were also given more rights in the Quaker
religion. Most notably, the women were not considered to be
subordinate, and in some instances, Quaker women even preached.
These unorthodox beliefs led to the persecution of the Friends
in England. William Penn's connections with the Duke of York
(who later became King James II) enabled him to secure a land
grant for a colony that would become a refuge for persecuted
Quakers in the New World. Penn's petition was granted and
the Charter of Pennsylvania was signed on March 4, 1681 by
the King. The new state adopted a constitution which, called
for a Great Law, a humanitarian code that guaranteed liberty
of conscience and opened up Pennsylvania for settlement to
other persecuted people of Europe. |
Page 3
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By
Rickie Lazzerini
Historian
BA History
University of California, Santa Barbara
© Rickie Lazzerini, All Rights
Reserved
This page may be freely linked to but may not be reproduced
in any form without prior written consent by the author.
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