Pennsylvania Colony (Province of Pennsylvania)

The Pennsylvania Colony (Province of Pennsylvania) was the original form of the state of Pennsylvania, existing from 1681 to 1776. English Quaker William Penn formed this colony through a charter from King Charles II as part of Great Britain’s colonization program in North America. Pennsylvania, or “Penn’s Woods,” was officially founded in 1681 and began functioning quickly. Unlike most other colonizers, Penn embraced pacifism. He ensured that his lands were legally purchased from Native Americans and envisioned his colony as a haven of peace and tolerance. Pennsylvania became a hub of immigration, religion, and industry in the coming years, despite political struggles and the gradual fading of Penn’s humanistic approach to government.

Background

The founder of the Pennsylvania Colony, William Penn, was born in London, England, on October 24, 1644. The son of navy admiral Sir William Penn and a member of a wealthy, well-educated family, Penn seemed destined for a life in the nobility. However, he surprised many by joining the Society of Friends, better known as the Quakers. The Quakers were a Christian religious sect formed in the mid-1600s that embraced simple living and pacifistic rejection of war. The unusual beliefs of the Quakers made them widely unpopular and frequently persecuted in England.

Despite his controversial religious beliefs, Penn remained a popular figure in England among the nobility and even the monarchy. When Penn learned that King Charles II owed his family a substantial amount of money, Penn requested a repayment in land instead. Penn hoped to establish a new territory where Quakers and other people from persecuted groups could live and practice their faiths in peace and security.

At this time, England claimed ownership of much of the land of North America. King Charles agreed to repay his debt by giving Penn land on that continent. In the Charter of Pennsylvania, proclaimed in April 1681, Charles granted Penn a huge parcel of land situated between the young English colonies of Maryland and New York. Calling the new colony “Pennsylvania,” or “Penn’s Woods,” Charles also assured that the colonists there would be protected by, and subject to, English laws.

In the coming months, William Penn began designing a constitution and other governmental structures for the new colony. In October 1682, Penn finally arrived in the land, which was already being set up according to his orders. The first capital city, Penn decreed, was to be Philadelphia, and the rest of the territory would be divided into counties. Penn then met with the new provincial governor, his cousin William Markham, and other leaders and legislators to finalize the state constitution. The final version of the founding document was based heavily on the Great Law, Penn’s vision of a land of conscience and humanitarianism.

Overview

William Penn and his fellow legislators had the Pennsylvanian government established within two years. Penn, however, did not feel that this accomplishment, or even the king’s charter itself, gave him full rights to the land. Several groups of Native Americans lived within the colony’s boundaries or claimed rights to its land. Unlike most other royal appointees, Penn took great care to meet each group and work out fair terms under which Penn would legally purchase the land. In essence, he gained the land twice—once from the English monarchy and once from the Native American claimants. His compassion and mindfulness of human rights made him popular, and only in later generations did relations sour between Native Americans and Pennsylvanians.

Native Americans continued to live within the colony’s borders. They were joined by Penn and a large and growing contingent of English settlers. The English settled mainly around Philadelphia, establishing farms and shops. Immigrants from many other lands eventually made their way to Pennsylvania as well. Foremost among these were Germans, known for their hard work and industrial ways, and Scotch-Irish, many of whom were hardy settlers willing to endure the hardships of the frontier life. The Germans and Scotch-Irish eventually made up a large percentage of the population. Later, regardless of Penn’s opposition to slavery, thousands of enslaved African Americans were taken into the colony. Other immigrants included French, Jewish, Swedish, and Dutch settlers.

The rich ethnic mixture of Pennsylvania and the humanism of its early leaders helped to make it a hub of art, culture, and education in the so-called New World. Philadelphia became known for its architecture, scientific advances, and newspapers and periodicals. The first nondenominational college in the British colonies began in Philadelphia in 1740 and grew into the University of Pennsylvania. Great minds including Benjamin Franklin lived and worked in Pennsylvania. At the same time, the liberal environment allowed for continued freedom of religious expression. Christian sects including the Lutheran, Catholic, Presbyterian, Mennonite, Moravian, and Reformed churches sprang up throughout the colony. The Jewish faith also thrived in the Philadelphia area and other regions.

At first, the primary economic activity in Pennsylvania was agriculture, with the colony’s varied and rich landforms supporting large farms and producing large yields of corn, wheat, flax, and other crops. Later, with food concerns resolved, settlers began establishing industries to exploit the colony’s vast natural resources. Sawmills and gristmills used the power of running water to perform useful tasks such as preparing lumber or grinding grain. Mining and metal processing became popular in some areas; pottery and textile manufacturing in others. Trade, printing, leather production, and the creation of firearms and wagons were other major industrial factors in colonial Pennsylvania.

Despite its promising start and early flourishing, the colony would face many struggles. Political disagreements between Pennsylvania and English legislators, and between colonial groups and their representatives in the Pennsylvanian Assembly, led to ongoing strife. Penn’s heirs largely abandoned his humanitarian ideals. Their greater focus on power and profit brought conflict between regions as well as with Native Americans. Late in the colonial period, Pennsylvania would become a battleground in the French and Indian War (1756–1763) and a variety of smaller armed conflicts and border disputes. In the 1770s, when many Americans began to rebel against Great Britain, Pennsylvanians helped lead the way, with many becoming outspoken patriots and participants in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783).

Bibliography

“1681–1776: The Quaker Province.” Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/pa-history/1681-1776.html. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019.

Merrell, James H. Into the American Woods: Negotiators on the Pennsylvania Frontier. W.W. Norton & Company, 1999.

Micklos, John Jr. Exploring the Pennsylvania Colony. Capstone Press, 2017.

Miller, Randall M. and William Pencak. Pennsylvania: A History of the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania State University Press, 2002.

Pencak, William A. and Daniel K. Richter, eds. Friends & Enemies in Penn’s Woods: Indians, Colonists, and the Racial Construction of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania State University, 2004.

Prentzas, G.S. A Primary Source History of the Colony of Pennsylvania. Rosen Publishing Group, 2006.

Spero, Patrick. Frontier Country: The Politics of War in Early Pennsylvania. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016.

Wiener, Roberta and James R. Arnold. 13 Colonies: Pennsylvania: The History of Pennsylvania Colony, 1681–1776. Raintree, 2005.