William Penn (1644.10-1718) was an important politician and social activist in the North American colonial period, and a pioneer of the Pennsylvania colony. He was also a major supporter of the Quakers and a religious reformer.
William Penn was born in London, England in 1643. His father was the famous Royal Navy Admiral Sir Penn. Admiral Penn captured Jamaica from Spain in 1654. His prominent family background made William Penn eye-catching from an early age. William Penn's rebellious character led him to refuse to accept the canons of the Church of England at the age of 18, and he was expelled from Oxford University. At the age of 23, he converted to Quakerism, a sect that was opposed by both Protestants and Puritans at the time.
The Quakers were founded in England by George Fox in the mid-17th century, and their aims and ideas were quite radical. They pursue a more just society and a pure church, defy tradition and authority, and advocate utopian equality and harmony. This sect was persecuted and expelled from England. William Penn was sent to the Tower of London four times for speaking out about his beliefs. After his father's death in 1670, William Penn inherited the family property and frequently visited the court in an attempt to persuade King Charles II to accept religious freedom. But after many failed efforts, William Penn and the Quakers turned their attention to the New World, hoping to create a new social system and model for mankind in this brand-new land.
In 1674, William Penn and other Quakers came to the North American colonies. He purchased land from a New Jersey property owner as a place to stay. This land was named "West Jersey" and was the prototype of today's Pennsylvania. Here, William Penn began to practice his own ideas and ideals. He gave almost all free men the right to make decisions and guaranteed immigrants religious freedom and jury trial. His famous saying is "We leave the decision-making power to the people."
In 1681, William Penn ushered in the most important moment in his life: King Charles II of England gave him a piece of land the size of England. This land became Pennsylvania. The main reason why the king did this was to repay the huge royal debt of 16,000 pounds owed to the Penn family, and the annoying Quakers' staying away from England also made Charles II feel more relaxed. As a result, Penn acquired the last unallocated and most fertile piece of land on the east coast of North America.
After receiving the royal charter of Pennsylvania, William Penn conceived his new plan for colonial society. He envisioned this perfect colony as a haven for all who were persecuted and a refuge from tyranny. William Penn enthusiastically invited more people from all religious and national backgrounds to his forested colony, promising that his government would never override the will of the citizens and would not even require military service.
Beginning in 682, members of the Quaker community came to Pennsylvania in large numbers, and immigrants from the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden were also attracted here. William Penn generously gave them land at a reasonable price. Unlike most North American colonists, William Penn was one of the very few political leaders who respected the local indigenous people. When William Penn founded the colony of Pennsylvania, he established friendly relations with the Delaware tribe in the colony. In a letter to the tribal chiefs, William Penn promised to live in peace with the Indians, respect their land rights, and protect free trade.
William Penn's democratic, open and tolerant colonial policy in Pennsylvania became the most unique "alternative" in the North American continent. In just over twenty years after the colony was established, the population grew to 20,000. South Carolina only increased to 4,000 during the same period. William Penn's pacifism also attracted large numbers of fleeing Indians, who came from all directions. In addition, immigrants from Germany, Ireland and Scotland swelled Pennsylvania's population to more than 30,000 people in 1720. By 1700, the population of Philadelphia, the capital of the Pennsylvania colony, had surpassed that of New York, and a few decades later it would become the largest city in the United States and the site where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
William Penn spent his whole life on the establishment and development of the new colony. He returned to England in 1684 and later visited the colony several times. He was more interested in the colony's ideas. planning, rather than direct rule, because "rule" is diametrically opposed to his original intention. In 1718, this idealist and perfectionist died in London.
Evaluation
William Penn is a major figure in the colonial history of North America. Most people appreciate the concepts of pacifism and equality, freedom, and justice he advocated. The colony he pioneered and planned later developed into the important American state of Pennsylvania. William Penn was an idealist and perfectionist. Although some of his ideas were difficult to realize in reality, his democratic thoughts and practices provided a reference for North American independence and the establishment of a country, society, and constitution. Similarly, William Penn was one of the few colonial leaders who treated the Native Americans well and firmly maintained an open policy. In his spirit, Pennsylvania, embracing all religions, nationalities, and races, laid the foundation for the diversity that would come to characterize American society.
He transcended the ideals of democracy and freedom bound by the times, and eventually became an immortal political consciousness in this vast land.