William Penn

by

Joyce Hemsley

WILLIAM PENN
British Quaker
Founder of Pennsylvania.
Born in London 1644
Died in Berkshire 1718
Interred - Chalfont
St. Giles Cemetery.

PENN was son of Admiral Sir William Penn,
and educated at Chigwell School in Essex;
expelled from Oxford for being a Quaker,
religious Society of Friends - founder,
George Fox, a companion of Penn. They
travelled side by side. Persecution of the
Quakers was strong enough for Penn to form
a settlement, away from England, in America.
And in 1677, together with other Quakers,
he received a large portion of the area
around New Jersey. Penn named it "Sylvania"
soon to be known as Penn-sylvania. Two
hundred settlers from England soon arrived
and founded the town of Burlington. Penn
remained in England, and drafted a Charter
of Liberties. I quote: "fair trial by jury,
freedom of religion, freedom from unjust
imprisonment, and free elections."

William Penn visited America again in 1699,
planned to make a federation of English
Colonies - and as a Quaker, was probably a
fighter against slavery. Suffering a stroke,
and being unable to express himself or care
for himself, he died in 1718. There is so
much written about WILLIAM PENN - this is
only a brief outline of a "long ago"
historic hero.

NEXT?
Why don't you look at Eraser
by: Dylan Early
from: Johannesburg, South Africa

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