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The Middle
Colonies Pennsylvania -- a large land grant given to William Penn in 1681 by Charles II (King of England) --- offered settlers an opportunity for social and political equality and religious toleration. It was these two components --- equality and religious freedom --- that became the driving force that made Pennsylvania one of the fastest growing and most viable colonies in British America. These were also characteristics that made the colonial experiences of settlers very different from those who settled in Massachusetts or Virginia. Like the Puritans, the Quakers experienced religious and social oppression in England and migrated to the New World hoping to establish a colony built on a utopian dream founded on religious beliefs. Like the English settlers of Virginia, Quakers' land grant consisted of fertile land that would support a profitable agricultural economy. However, Quakers' "holy" experiment" and economic base differed sharply from Massachusetts and Virginia. Quakers wanted to establish a utopia defined by equality. Quakers believed that the Holy Spirit, or "Inner Light," of God inspired every soul equally, which contrasted sharply with the Puritans, who believed that only a few were predestined by be saved. This meant that since God did not make distinctions by gender, race, ethnicity or social class, neither should the Quakers. Labeling themselves as the Society of Friends, Quakers embraced religious toleration and social and political systems built on equality. Moreover, the land granted to the Quakers by the King of England (Charles II) determined the outcomes of the Quaker's settlement. Charles II gave William Penn, a Quaker, a land grant of 45,000 acres of land. This land base was almost as large as England itself. Located along the Atlantic seaboard, this land was one of the most fertile in British American. Its soil and geographic location provided the ability to establish a profitable agricultural economy based on growing grain. To make the colony viable, Penn actively recruited in England and Europe potential settlers, promising them that they could become part of the New World's landed gentry. He sold them large land tracts at a fair price. Quakers and non-Quakers migrated to Pennsylvania in family units, purchased large tracts, and established family farms. Even though indentured servants and slaves existed in early colonial Pennsylvania, neither was needed to sustain the family farms. Moreover, the religious beliefs of Penn and other Quakers could not rationalize slavery or racial discrimination. This made the colonial experience in Pennsylvania vastly different than that of Virginia and other southern colonies. William Penn's desire to establish a utopian society in Pennsylvania was clearly demonstrated in three ways. First, Penn laid the basic foundation for political equlaity and religious toleration. In the original "Frame of Government," Penn set the tone for equality and religious toleration. From its beginnings, the colony's political organization called for representative democracy: its male settlers could make the laws according to their ideas. Initially in 1682, this structure included only Quakers, since they were the majority. Over the next two decades, Penn continued to revise the colony's constitution to suite the demands of the expanding and more diverse population. By the dawn of the 18th century, Pennsylvania had established one of the most liberal and open societies in British America. Historians suggest that Penn's political writings inspired the expressed ideas in the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Second, William Penn's "holy experiment" is reflected in way that Penn planned and established Philadelphia and interacted with the Native Americans. Literally meaning the "City of Brotherly Love," Philadelphia was planned carefully by Penn. The geographic location of Philadelphia at the convergence the Delaware and Schuykill rivers perhaps had greater influence on the city's development than its master plan. These waterways gave Philadelphia a safe, deep harbor, and the Schuykill River gave the best access to the interior of the state. Philadelphia offered access to the Atlantic Ocean, thereby making it one of the fastest growing and most viable port cities in British America. By 1700, Philadelphia had overtaken New York City in population and by the eve of the American Revolution, it was the largest city in the colonies, bustling with a wide range of artisans, merchants, and professions. It also was the location that the leaders of colonial America met to declare independence, wage the revolutionary war, and write the Untied States Constitution. William Penn's policies toward the Native Americans that populated Pennsylvania reflect his desire that the "holy experiment" would also be "a peaceable kingdom." Populating the land grant of Pennsylvania was the Delaware (Leni Lenape) tribe. Even before arriving in Pennsylvania, Penn wrote to the Delaware chiefs to lay the foundation for peaceful relations. "The king of the Country [Charles II] where I live," wrote Penn, "hath given me a great Province; but I desire to enjoy it with your love and consent, that we may always live together as Neighbors and friends." Recognizing the Indians as the rightful owners of the land included in his grant, Penn pledged not to sell one acre until he had first purchased it from local chiefs. He also promised strict regulation of the Indian trade and a ban on the sale of alcohol. And he kept his promise. William Penn's philosophy of pacifism and friendly relations with the Delaware and Susquehannocks was an exception in British America. The land owners in Virginia first tried to enslave the Native Americans as potential slave labor, and, once this failed, they took away their land by force. In Massachusetts, both Pilgrims and Puritans militarized their colony against what they believe might be potential attacks and took used force to acquire land from the Native American tribes of that region. It was only Roger Williams, who had been banished from Massachusetts, whose attitude toward Native Americans was similar to William Penn's. It is also interesting to note that both Williams and Penn embraced religious toleration. To many, Pennsylvania represented an ideal colony. It was intelligently organized, well financed, tolerant, open to all industrious settlers, and at peace with the Indians. Ironically, however, these very features also became one of the key reasons that the utopian hope of a "peaceable kingdom" never materialized. Land hungry settlers migrated to Pennsylvania, thereby challenging agreements made with Native Americans. Bickering among settlers began to shape the political process and religious controversy caused the Quakers to divide into factions. Despite the fact that William Penn's hope to establish a utopian society never materialized, Pennsylvania, as the model colony of the Middle Colonies, established an important piece of American identities and of the emerging ideas of the American nation. Consequences:
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History Lives
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