Chapter 5
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75
equals — not as rich or poor people. Third,
hewantedpeople tohave a voice inhow the
governmentwas tooperate.Williambelieved
that the people knew their needs better than
kings or queens.
In 1681, William sent a small group of
settlers to begin the colony. William spent
more than one year planning and
organizinghis new colony. Hewanted tobe
true tohiswords andbeliefs. In lateOctober
1682, William arrived with 100 Quaker
settlers on a small ship namedWelcome. It
took two months to cross the Atlantic
Ocean and 30 people died from diseases.
Imaginewhat itwouldbe like tomove to
a new land in 1682. What would you take
with you to
survive
? To survive means to
live through something that is hard to do.
Remember, youwould be living for 60 days
on a small, crowded ship. When William
arrived at the present-day site of
Philadelphia, there were only 20 houses
built. There were no homes for the new
settlers! They ended up living in dugout
caves along the Delaware River. There were
no roads, no stores, and no shopping
centers! The settlers had very little inwhich
to begin their new lives in the colony.
What resources did the settlers have in
their new colony? They had a fresh water
supply. They had plenty of wood in the
forest for building homes. There were also
many animals in the forest and fish in the
rivers. However, the settlers did not know
how to catch them. TheDelaware tribeswere
living in the area. They taught the settlers
how to catch fish, hunt deer, and trap other
animals. They also taught the settlers how to
grow corn, beans, and squash.
While setting up his colony, William got
along well with the Delawares. He made
peace treaties. He joined in their sports
activities. They called him Brother Onas,
which meant pen or quill. He treated the
Delawares with fairness. He paid the
Delaware chief,
Tamanend
, for the land
thekingof Englandhadgivenhim.William
treated theDelawares as equals.
When people in England and other parts
of Europe heard about these ideas, many of
them decided to travel to this new colony.
Remember, there were people who had
different religious beliefs than the king or
queen. They were not treated well because
of their beliefs. William had planned a
beautiful townwith small parks. He named
it Philadelphia, which means
City of
Brotherly Love
.
William Penn’s
Important Laws
W
illiam was true to his promise.
Throughout Penn’s time in his
colony, he was able to pass two
important laws that help the people of
