In 1682, the
Great Law
was passed by the
colony’s first law-making body. While it guaranteed
religious freedom, it also expanded upon Penn’s first
Frame of Government. In addition, it dealt with the
conduct of trials, elections, voting, and taxes.
What about the Native Americans in
Pennsylvania?William knew the land was occupied
by the Delaware tribe of Native Americans. William
developed peaceful relations with the Delawares and
demanded that all lands be legally purchased from
them. He got along well with the Delawares and
joined in their sports activities. They called him
Brother Onas, whichmeant quill or pen.
Supposedly, Penn took part in ameeting with one
of the Delaware’s chiefs, Tamanend. However,
historians think this story could be a legend because
no written record was ever found of themeeting. As
the story goes, Penn signed a
Treaty of Friendship
in
1683 under a large elm tree near the area known as
Shackamaxon. It is believed that Chief Tamanend said
something like, “we will live in peace as long as the
waters run in the rivers and creeks and as long as the
stars andmoon endure.” Because of problems in
England, Penn returned to his home country in 1684.
He thought his new colony was off to a good start.
However, over the years, members of the Council and
General Assembly fought among themselves. They
could not agree on the best way to run the colony.
William felt that people should live in peace, so he
was not happy about the bickering. Penn returned to
his colony in 1699 to correct the problems.
He amended the colony’s constitution by writing
the fourth and final Frame of Government. In 1701,
this plan was passed by the General Assembly and
became known as the
Charter of Privileges
. This
plan once again guaranteed the citizens’ individual
rights and freedoms, such as religion. In addition,
the General Assembly could now suggest laws to be
considered by the King or Queen of England.
In 1701, trouble in England once again called
Penn back home. He spent only three years in the
colony he started. Despite this, he became the chief
designer of freedoms among the American colonies.
In 1712, Penn suffered a stroke, which kept him
from running his colony’s government. His wife,
Hannah, took control and ran the colony’s government
fromEngland. In 1718, WilliamPenn died, but
Hannah kept running the colony until her death in
1726. The Pennsylvania colony was run by the Penn
family until the American Revolution began in 1775.
This painting depictsWilliamPenn and other
members of this colonymeeting with local Native
American tribes.
32
Understanding Pennsylvania
