William Penn: The Founder of Pennsylvania P6

William Penn realized that to have good government, the quality of the citizens and their leaders was more important than the quality of the laws although both were necessary. He understood that rarely do bad leaders follow good laws, or good leaders enact bad ones; so while good civil laws were imperative, good character in a leader was even more essential.

Penn once told Russian Czar Peter the Great, “If thou wouldst rule well, thou must rule for God - and to do that, thou must be ruled by Him.” Penn’s position paralleled what the Bible set forth in Proverbs 29:2 which declares: “When the Godly are in authority the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power they groan.”

Reflecting Penn’s understanding of the importance of good leaders, his 1682 laws for the colony required all officials to “possess faith in Jesus Christ.” The revised Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges (1701) slightly altered this qualification to “profess to believe in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.”

Penn was a wise lawgiver and as such is honored in the US Capitol. His great wisdom was “derived from the book of Gospel status.”

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