William Penn: The Founder of Pennsylvania P1

Last week I spoke about Pennsylvania, William Penn its founder, George Fox and Quakerism.

William Penn’s father angrily removed William from school due to his refusal to submit to certain State-decreed Anglican theological tenets and sent him to France, where he became popular at the royal court. His father eventually recalled him to England, where he made a similarly favorable impression on English royalty.

As a result of these new high-level political activities, his former religious interests slowly fell away. After Penn began the study of law and then participated in a military skirmish, he encountered a Quaker teacher he had followed in college and once again became conscious of his spiritual condition.

William Penn began attending the Quaker meetings, but was arrested for violating the oppressive Conventicle Act. This law prohibited non-Anglican “conventicles,” that is groups of people who gather for religious service or worship. England forbade any religious gathers of more than five people - unless it was an Anglican gathering. 

Content Sourced from The American Story The Beginnings by: David Barton & Tim Barton