Chapter 5
●
73
William Penn Starts
His Colony
L E S S O N 1 4
Key Questions
1. WhowasWilliam Penn?
2. Why did he start the colony
of Pennsylvania?
3. What was the “Holy
Experiment?”
4. What important laws did
William Penn place into his
colony?
5. What city didWilliam Penn
begin?
KeyWords
Society of Friends
Quakers
survive
General Assembly
Charter of Privileges
Key People & Places
William Penn
England
NorthAmerica
Pennsylvania
Tamanend
Story ofWilliam Penn
O
ur story begins with
William
Penn
. He was born in
England
on October 24, 1644. William
attended school until he was twelve. After
that, he was taught by private teachers.
When he was a young adult, he attended
Oxford University. It was during this time
that he began to attend somemeetings of a
religious group called the
Society of
Friends
. Another name for themwas the
Quakers
. The Quakers believed all people
were equal whether theywere rich or poor.
They also believed that war and fighting
werewrong.
The Quakers had one other very
important belief. They believed that people
should be free to choose their religion.
Today, we have many different kinds of
religions. However, people were not always
allowed the freedomof religion. Remember,
at this time, European countries were ruled
by kings and queens. What they said was
the law of their land! People who followed
different religions were treated badly
and unfairly.
During the 1600s in England, it was the
law that everybody belongs to the king’s
church, the Church of England. Well, the
Quakers believed differently and were not
part of the king’s church. Can you guess
what happened toWilliamnext?
