October 14: Birthday of William Penn (1644)
Prayer Idea
Pray for an opportunity to show kindness to someone with a different religious perspective.
History Note
William Penn was born in London, England, on October 14, 1644. His mother, Margriet (Margaret) Jaspers, was Dutch. His father, also named William, was an English naval officer. The elder William Penn was later knighted, so he is referred to as Sir William below.
Young William was homeschooled until he was 11 years old. Afterwards he attended Chigwell Academy. The Penns spent part of William’s childhood in Ireland, where Sir William owned a castle.
George Fox, an Englishman, founded the Religious Society of Friends in the 1650s. Opponents of the group insulted them by calling them Quakers (a term that is no longer considered an insult). While the Penn family was living in Ireland, young William heard a sermon by a Quaker preacher.
The Penns were connected to the royal family of England. In 1661 William attended the coronation of King Charles II. William also knew the king’s brother James, who later became King James II. William Penn attended college and received some legal training.
After hearing the same Quaker preacher again, young William Penn decided to become a Quaker. At a Quaker meeting, authorities arrested Penn and other attendees. Since Penn was from a higher social class, officials released him. However, William insisted that he be treated the same as the others, so he went to jail for a time.
William spent time in prison several times, including in the notorious Tower of London. William used his legal training to fight back through the English court system. He was able to help himself and many other imprisoned Quakers.
Penn became involved in the English colonies in America. He convinced Lord Baltimore to give Quakers in Maryland more freedom. He wrote laws for a portion of New Jersey so that people there would have more freedom and rights. Penn became a famous speaker. Thousands went to hear him. In 1677 Penn traveled and preached in the Netherlands and Germany.
King Charles II had borrowed money from Sir William Penn. In 1681, ten years after Sir William’s death, the king had still not paid it back. Penn wrote to him, requesting that he give him land in America to pay the debt. Penn wanted to start a colony. The king agreed to do so. King Charles named the colony Pennsylvania after Sir William. Pennsylvania means “Penn’s Woods.”
William Penn thought of his colony in America as a “holy experiment.” He recruited settlers to move there. Pennsylvania became a safe place for people suffering religious persecution. Quakers, Catholics, French Huguenots, Lutherans, Amish, and Mennonites were among those who eventually settled in Pennsylvania.
Penn enjoyed good relationships with Native nations. He had written to the local Lenape Nation, admitting to them that other Europeans had treated them badly. He asked them to live peacefully with the people of the Pennsylvania colony. Penn made a treaty with some Lenape.
William Penn visited America twice, but he did not spend much time in the colony he founded. He died in England in 1718. The colony of Pennsylvania played a significant role during the colonial period and during the founding of the United States.
In 1894 a 37-foot-tall statue of William Penn designed by Alexander Milne Calder was placed on top of city hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For 90 years, no one constructed a building in the city that was taller than Penn’s hat. Photo by photosounds / Shutterstock.com.
Learn More
Watch this brief biography of William Penn.
Find more resources at Homeschool History.
