A collection of 20 essays, by a distinguished panel of specialists in British and American history, that explores the complex political, economic, intellectual, religious, and social environment in which William Penn lived and worked.

It may surprise many that William Penn, who founded one of the thirteen original American colonies, spent just four years on American soil. Even more surprising, though, is Penn's remarkable impact on the fundamental principles of religious freedom on both sides of the Atlantic, especially given his tumultuous life: from his youthful radicalism as leader of the Quaker movement to his role as governor and proprietor of a major American colony; from royal courtier to alleged traitor to the Crown. In the first major biography of this important transatlantic figure in more than forty years, Andrew R. Murphy takes readers through the defiant and complex life of a religious dissenter, political theorist, and social activist.

King Charles II of England gave Pennsylvania to Quaker William Penn in repayment for a loan that Penns father had made to the king. The king probably thought he was accomplishing more than just paying a debt when he made the land grant. It was a way to get rid of some Quakers, whom he considered troublesome.Quakers did flock to Pennsylvania to settle, but so did people from many other religious groups. All faiths were welcome in Penns colony. The new city of Philadelphia prospered. Settlers fanned out to the west to build farms and towns. They shipped their products to Philadelphia and England.By the time of the American Revolution, Pennsylvania was considered the heart of the colonies. Philadelphia hosted the First and Second Continental Congresses, where the Declaration of Independence was crafted. And from the Pennsylvania State House, the Liberty Bell rang out the news of declared independence.

The son of a wealthy, repected admiral, William Penn did what was forbidden in seventeenth-century England--he openly practiced the Quaker religion. Penn dreamed of a place with freedom of religion. He asked for land in the New World and was given a colony called Pennsylvania. His success in establishing a new and just government there later became the blueprint for thirteen newly independent colonies.

William Penn s Holy Experiment was a dedicated man s sincere effort to create a land where people of all faiths could live peacefully together. He founded Pennsylvania primarily as a safe haven for Quakers who were persecuted in Britain and other European countries. But he welcomed anyone, Quaker or not, who wanted to work hard to make a new life for his or her family. Penn's childhood was a happy one lived mostly in the country with his parents and brother and sister. He was a young adult when he first showed interest in the Quaker faith, and that interest never faded. His parents tried to persuade him tothat they mapped out for him as a government worker or some sort of royal official. Instead he founded Pennsylvania and formed his own government. It was as close as any colony would come to being a democracy.

"This book features: the integration of English history with Penn's personal struggles and accomplishments (and shows how specific events affected Penn and the Quakers); thorough coverage of the Quaker faith provides insight into Penn's motivations and actions; chapter-ending summaries provide a synopsis of important events in Penn's life and chart Penn's evolution from peaceful Quaker to profit-making colonizer; and study and discussion questions at the end of the book help students check their reading and comprehension. These questions may also be used to facilitate discussions in the classroom or student study groups."--BOOK JACKET.

Camp William Penn, established in 1863, was the largest federal facility to train black Northern-based soldiers during the Civil War and is steeped in Civil War history. Almost 11,000 troops and officers trained at the sprawling facility outside of Philadelphia and a special officersAa' training school in the city. The camp, backed by the Union League of Philadelphia, was located near the home of antislavery abolitionist Lucretia Mott. The area, today known as Cheltenham TownshipAa's LaMott, was also instrumental in the Underground Railroad, with such great abolitionists as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass addressing the troops. The soldiers were a part of Abraham LincolnAa's Bureau of United States Colored Troops, and several earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroics during battle. The vintage photographs in Camp William Penn were obtained from government agencies, universities, historical organizations, and the personal collections of soldiersAa' descendants.

“Anyone who is losing hope for America must read The Seed of a Nation. The inspiration lives, the seed sprouts, the idea works” (Scott W. Boyd, Pennsylvania State Representative). “The Seed of a Nation is a thoroughly researched and fascinating account of William Penn’s efforts to establish a ‘Holy Experiment’ in Pennsylvania—a vision of governance grounded in faith and operating on the principles of tolerance and respect for all” (Senator Stewart J. Greenleaf). It was this “Holy Experiment,” set out in Penn’s Charter of Privileges, that provided the framework for the United States Government, including the essential underlying mandate to provide freedom for all people. So brilliant was William Penn’s legacy that Thomas Jefferson, writer of the Declaration of Independence, called him, “the greatest lawgiver the world has produced.” This fascinating work looks at the life and impact of William Penn—an impact that still echoes today.

*Includes pictures *Includes Penn's quotes *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "Sense shines with a double luster when it is set in humility. An able yet humble man is a jewel worth a kingdom." - William Penn Of all the original 13 colonies in America, only one owes its conception to one man, and indeed, Pennsylvania was and still remains bound up in the life and character of its founder, William Penn. Here was a man born into a military family who saw his father rise through the ranks of the 17th century English court to become a friend of the king, and he even considered a military career for himself, only to leave it all behind to become a member of the "Society of Friends," known colloquially as the Quakers. Few today know much about the Quakers. Whenever the subject of Quakerism slips into conversation, most picture a rosy-cheeked fellow in a simple black overcoat, and a wide brim hat atop his thick, cloud-white hair, inspired by the famous logo of the Quaker Oats company. In spite of the stereotype, Quakers today come in all colors, shapes, and sizes, with the more liberal folk sporting trendy haircuts, tattoos, and various piercings. They call themselves "Friends," a starkly different but very devout following of God. They strive for a world empowered by peace and acceptance, an ambitious mission fueled by diversity, blind to race, gender, or creed. As amicably harmless as the Friends might appear, there was once a time when being a Quaker was at the very best an instant conviction, and at the very worst a death sentence. Their unorthodox ideals were considered poisonous and potentially dangerous by authorities, who would fight time and time again to stamp out the flames of their movement, but still, they weathered storm after storm. And while the peace-loving followers of Christ were famed for their views of harmony, by no means were they feeble opponents. Not only would they persevere in the face of persecution, theirs was a movement so powerful that it stood strong for centuries, and much of that was due to William Penn's work in North America. For all his love of the sect and its plain ways, he was himself quite a scholar, able to debate some of the greatest minds of his age and win. He was also an ambitious man who saw the answer to his people's persecution not in capitulation but in building a new society where all people could be free to worship God in the way each felt right. Along the way he befriended kings and scoundrels and suffered at the hands of each, only to triumph repeatedly, until finally he experienced what was, for the people of his faith, the ultimate triumph of death, knowing that the colony he had founded was thriving and would likely do so for generations to come. William Penn: The Life and Legacy of the English Quaker Who Founded Pennsylvania chronicles the life of one of colonial America's most important figures. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about William Penn like never before.