Simone Lawson
The Pennsylvania colony was founded by English Quaker William Penn in 1681, when King Charles II granted him a charter for over 45,000 square miles of land. Penn established a government based on the people's will and religious tolerance, guaranteeing freedom of conscience in the colony. The colony's constitution, the Charter of Privileges, was created in 1701 and remained in effect until the American Revolution. It guaranteed religious freedom, strengthened the separation of church and state, and granted popularly elected officials the power to enact laws. The Pennsylvania colony also had a rich cultural and intellectual history, with men such as Benjamin Franklin, David Rittenhouse, and Benjamin West achieving international renown. The colony's influence on the US Constitution can be seen in the adoption of certain principles from the Charter of Privileges, including religious freedom, separation of church and state, and laws created and enacted by popularly elected officials. Additionally, Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the US Constitution and join the United States in 1787.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of establishment | 1681 |
| Founder | William Penn |
| Named after | Admiral Sir William Penn, father of William Penn |
| Charter granted by | King Charles II of England |
| Area | 45,000 square miles |
| First Frame of Government | December 1682 |
| Second Frame of Government | April 2, 1683 – April 1693 |
| Third Frame of Government | 1696 |
| Charter of Privileges | October 28, 1701 |
| First state to ratify the U.S. Constitution | Delaware |
| Second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution | Pennsylvania |
| Date of ratification of U.S. Constitution | December 7, 1787 (Delaware); December 12, 1787 (Pennsylvania) |
| Date of Pennsylvania Constitution | 1776 |
| Date of U.S. Constitution | 1787 |
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What You'll Learn
William Penn's 'Frame of Government'
The Frame of Government of Pennsylvania, also known as the Frame of 1682, was a proto-constitution for the Province of Pennsylvania. It was a proprietary colony granted to William Penn by Charles II of England. Penn, an English Quaker, sought to create a new type of community with religious tolerance and a great deal of political freedom.
Penn's Frame of Government has been deemed historically important as a significant step in the development of democracy in America and the world. It was influenced by republican political theory and humanism, and incorporated several pioneering ideas that would later become important elements of modern constitutionalism.
One of the most notable aspects of the Frame of 1682 was its stance on capital punishment. It stipulated that capital punishment should be limited to only a few severe criminal offences, such as murder and treason. Additionally, the Frame of 1682 guaranteed absolute freedom of worship in the colony. It also included provisions for the impeachment of the governor by the assembly and emphasised the importance of upholding the liberties outlined in the charter.
Penn's political philosophy was also influenced by his religious beliefs. In the preface to the Frame of Government, he wrote about the importance of integrity, goodness, and just administration. He believed that government should not solely focus on correction but also on the care and regulation of other affairs. Penn recognised the challenges of creating a perfect government, acknowledging the influence of time, place, and singular emergences.
The Frame of 1682 also addressed the role of the governor and the provincial Council. It outlined the process for electing and presenting judges, treasurers, and other officials, with the governor or their deputy making the final nominations. Penn, however, deviated from his initial political ideas due to demands from the settlers. One of the controversial provisions in the Frame of 1682 was the governor's veto power over legislation, which was a concession Penn made to attract colonists.
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The Charter of Privileges
The Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges, also known as the Charter of Liberties, was created by William Penn in 1701. It served as Pennsylvania's constitution until the American Revolution, replacing several previous attempts to establish a viable government since the colony's founding in 1681.
The Charter granted the colonial government of Pennsylvania the power to enact its own laws and appoint its own legislative leaders. It elevated the power of the Assembly, creating a tripartite government with a balance of power between the governor, legislature, and judiciary. This distribution of power was a radical concept at the time, as many believed it would lead to mob rule.
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Religious tolerance
The Pennsylvania colony was founded by William Penn, a member of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers. Quakers were considered dangerous radicals by the English because of their teachings on social and religious equality. Penn himself had been imprisoned for his preaching and publication of Quaker doctrines. As a result, he became an ardent activist for religious freedom.
In 1681, King Charles II granted Penn a charter to found a new colony in America. Penn arrived in America in 1682 and established the groundwork for the formation of the Pennsylvania colony. His pluralistic approach attracted a diverse range of people from many faiths. Penn’s first goal was to develop a legal basis for a free society. He believed that people were born with certain natural rights and privileges of freedom. In his First Frame of Government (1682), he provided for secure private property, free enterprise, a free press, trial by jury, and religious toleration.
In the early years of what became the United States, Christian religious groups played an influential role in each of the British colonies, and most attempted to enforce strict religious observance through colony governments and local town rules. Laws mandated that everyone attend a house of worship and pay taxes that funded the salaries of ministers. Eight of the thirteen British colonies had official churches, and in those colonies, dissenters who sought to practice or proselytize a different version of Christianity or a non-Christian religion were often persecuted.
In contrast, Pennsylvania's first constitution stated that all who believed in God and agreed to live peacefully under the civil government would "in no way be molested or prejudiced for their religious persuasion of practice." Philadelphia became a place where Quakers, Baptists, and Presbyterians all practiced their religion freely without an established church. The colony became a model of religious liberty and justice in British North America.
The principles of freedom that Penn promoted and adopted helped lay the framework for the First Amendment. The Pennsylvania colony demonstrated how a free society could work and how individuals of different races and religions could live together in liberty and peace.
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Influence of Quakerism
The colony of Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn in 1682 as a safe place for Quakers. Penn drew up the First Frame of Government, his proposed constitution for Pennsylvania, while still in England. The Quakers, or the Religious Society of Friends, were known for their pacifism, diplomacy, and rejection of violence. They were also known for their industrial presence and political connections in Pennsylvania.
Quaker theology promoted a high degree of internal unity while encouraging cultural separation from outsiders. Despite this, Quaker communities maintained contact with each other and with Quakers in Great Britain. Quaker women were allowed to take on more active roles than was typical, with many female Quaker writers and preachers emerging in the 1650s to 1670s.
In the years leading up to the American Revolution, Quakers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey opposed increased British taxation and peacefully protested the Stamp Act. They attempted to keep the protests nonviolent, and their influence helped keep events in Pennsylvania and New Jersey comparatively peaceful. However, they gradually lost political support to more radical factions that advocated for violence.
During the Revolution, Quakers provided relief efforts and donated money and goods to the inhabitants of Boston. Several notable figures in the Revolution were also Quakers or had Quaker backgrounds, including Thomas Paine, author of "Common Sense," and General Nathanael Greene.
After the war, the United States Constitution included language directed at Quaker citizens, allowing for affirming instead of swearing oaths. Quaker communities influenced the formation of new governments, with rules being altered to allow Quakers to freely participate. However, the war had also alienated pacifistic Quakers, causing many to withdraw from political life and some to leave the United States for Canada.
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Penn's relationship with the Native Americans
Pennsylvania was founded in 1681 by William Penn, who was granted the land by the King of England, Charles II, in payment of a debt owed to Penn's father. Penn drew up a constitution for the colony, the 'First Frame of Government', which guaranteed freedom of conscience in the colony.
Penn is known for his relatively positive relationship with the Native Americans of the region. He met with the Lenni Lenape Indians in 1682 and, according to tradition, promised eternal friendship. Under Penn's influence, fair treatment was accorded to the Native Americans, who responded with friendship. The Iroquois Covenant Chain and the Lenapes' treaties with Penn established the diplomatic parameters that allowed Pennsylvania to avoid destructive frontier warfare.
However, this peaceful relationship did not last. By the early 1690s, Native Americans fleeing warfare and colonisation began settling in the Susquehanna, including Lenape communities relocating to escape the growing colonial population in the Delaware Valley. Penn coveted Indian lands in the Susquehanna Valley, and his hunger for Indian land contributed to a deterioration in relations. By 1754, European colonisation had substantially altered the location and number of Native Americans in Pennsylvania. The Walking Purchase of 1737, which was engineered by one of Penn's successors, led to the dispossession of the Delawares (also known as Lenapes) from their original homeland. During the Seven Years' War, which lasted from 1754 to 1763 in North America, the Pennsylvania colony became the scene of horrific interracial violence. By the 1790s, Native Americans and Pennsylvania's European peoples were permanently estranged from each other.
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Frequently asked questions
The Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges, also known as the Charter of Liberties, was a constitution that functioned in Pennsylvania from 1701 until the American Revolution. It replaced several attempts to create a viable frame of government since the colony's establishment in 1681.
The Charter of Privileges permitted the Pennsylvania Assembly certain liberties and powers that had never been granted by Penn before. The most significant of these was the power to enact legislation, an ability many colonial legislatures lacked. The Charter also created a unicameral legislature, making Pennsylvania the only American colony to have one.
The Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges was one of the first constitutions in the American colonies, and it remained in effect for 75 years. It was influenced by Penn's supporters, primarily the earliest landholders in the colony, and it guaranteed religious liberty. The ideas in the Charter of Privileges were later developed into important elements of modern constitutionalism.
G: James Wilson, a lawyer from Philadelphia, signed the Declaration of Independence and worked on several compromises in the US Constitution, including the Three-Fifths Compromise. Additionally, Delaware, which was once a part of the Province of Pennsylvania, was the first state to ratify the US Constitution.
