PENNYSYLVANIA

FOUNDER

• The founder of Pennsylvania was William Penn
• Penn was born on October 14, 1644, and died on July 30, 1718

REASONS FOUNDED

• William Penn founded Pennsylvania as a place where people could have freedom of religion.
• The colony became a haven for minor religions from Germany, Skandinavia, and Great Britain.

WHO SETTLED HERE

• Enslaved Africans and Enslaved descendants of Africans were brought into Pennsylvania, mostly by the English, Welsh, and Scotch-Irish.
• Jews and Christians were free to settle in Pennsylvania.

CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY

• Pennsylvania was covered with lots of woodland. The name literally meant "Penn's Woods."
• Pennsylvania also had a mild climate with warm summers and mild winters that were well suited to farming.

ECONOMY

• Corn, rye, wheat, and hemp were the main crops sold in Pennsylvania.
• Pennsylvania was considered the highest exporting colony.

RELIGION

• Pennsylvania was based on religious freedom for Quakers, who believed that people should have a direct connection to God.
• The colony's religious tolerance soon attracted Dutch and German immigrants as well.

POLITICS

• Penn didn't agree with governments that forced laws on citizens, instead, he wanted self-government for the people.
• In 1696, a group of people called the Assembly demanded the power to make laws, so Penn reluctantly changed the way Pennsylvania was governed.

SOURCES

• History of William Penn, By The Independence Hall Association, http://www.ushistory.org/penn/bio.htm, September 12, 2016
• Colony of Pennsylvania, By Linda Alchin, https://www.landofthebrave.info/pennsylvania-colony.htm, September 12, 2016
• Pennsylvania 1630-1700, By Rudolph J. Walther, revised by ushistory.org, http://www.ushistory.org/pennsylvania/pennsylvania.html, September 12, 2016
• William Penn and American History, By unknown, http://www.pennsburymanor.org/history/william-penn-and-american-history/