*ix. The Editor's Note
This new edition of No Cross, No Crown is an is an entirely new translation of Williams Penn's original 2nd edition published in 1682. The English language has undergone tremendous changes over the last 300 years or so. In addition, even in his own day, Penn's frilly, repetitive style was very difficult for his readers to comprehend. Here is a sample of Penn's original wording in 1682:
'But alas! what is the reason that the cry is so common, Must we always dote on these things? Why most certainly it is this, they know not what is the joy and peace of it is this, they know not what is the joy and peace of speaking and acting, as in the presence of the most holy God that passeth such vain understandings (Eph. 4.18-20): darkened with the glories and pleasures of the god of this world (II cor. 4.4); whose religion is so many mumbling and ignorantly devout said words, as they teach parrots; for if they were of those whose hearts are set on things above and whose treasure is in heaven, there would their minds inhabit, and their greatest pleasure constantly be: and such who call that a burden, and seek to be refreshed by such pastimes as a play, a morrice- dance, a punchinello,
*x. a ball,a masque, cards, dice, or the like, I am bold to affirm, they not only never knew the divine excellency of God and his truth, but thereby declare themselves most unfit, for them in another world. for how is it possible that they can be delighted to eternity with that satisfaction, which is so tedious and irksome for 30 or 40 years, that, for a supply of recreation to their minds, the little toys and fopperies of this perishing world must be brought into practice and request?
Now, here is the same sample translated into Modern English:
But this is such a common complaint: 'Why must we always dwell on these things?' because many do not know the joy of being in the presence of God (Eph 4.18-20). this surpasses all vain understandings (Rom. 10.2) which are darkened with the glories and pleasures of the God of this world (II Cor. 4.4). if they were people whose hearts are set on things above (Col. 3.1-4), and whose treasure is in heaven (Matt. 6.20), then their minds would be in the right place. Those who call this a 'burden' and seek to be refreshed by vain pastimes have never known God and His truth. They are declaring themselves to be most unfit for Him in another world. For , how is it possible that they can be satisfied for eternity with what is so tedious and irksome for 30 or 40 years!?
The translators have done their best to preserve the sense of Penn's original meaning within his culture. Sometimes, wherever possible, they were able to retain actual words or phrases that came from his own hand.
There were 18 chapters in the 1682 edition, but the translators decided to combine the content of those chapters into 12 chapters by grouping them according to similar subject matter. Originally, Penn's Chapter 10 was entitled 'thee and Thou to Single Persons'. this chapter was deleted because it is now irrelevant for a modern audience. Regarding the use of pronouns, in English today, there is No distinction between 'thee/thou' and 'you'. but in Penn's day, the Quakers insisted that it was pride that
*xi.demanded that the word 'you' be used when referring to high-ranking officials, and 'thee' or 'thou' was to be used for persons of equal rank or those who were below one's rank.
we are assuming that William Penn, who was very familiar with his Bible, was quoting from the King James Version, which first appeared in 1611. In this new edition of No Cross, No Crown, all Scripture quotations are taken from the International English Bible (copyright 20122. all rights Reserved.). This is a new modern translation of the whole Bible. permission was granted by:
International Bible Translators, Inc.
P.O. Box 6203
Branson, MO 65615
*xiii About 2000 years ago, Jesus made a shocking statement to some so-called 'Christians' in Laodicea. Jesus sent a special letter to them through the Apostle John. It said, 'I know what you've done. You are not cold; you are not hot. I wish you were either cold or hot! Instead, you are lukewarm -not hot, not cold. So, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth'. Revelation 3. 15-6
I know what 'cold' means, and I know what 'lukewarm' means, but what does 'hot' mean? What did Jesus mean by that term?
Was the Apostle Peter 'hot' for Jesus? He thought so. On the night when Jesus was arrested, Peter claimed, 'Lord, I am ready to go to jail with you. i will even die with you! (Luke 22.33) But what happened later that same night? Three times he denied knowing Jesus (Luke 22.54-61). Later, after the resurrection of Christ, Jesus told him: 'I am telling you the truth, Peter, when you were young, you tied your own belt and you walked where you wanted to go. But when you get old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you. They will carry you where
*xiv. you don't want to go'. (Jesus said this to show what kid of death would be used to bring glory to God.) a few years later, Peter's new-found commitment was put to the test when he was arrested by King Herod and Peter was going to be executed the next morning (Acts 12.1-19).
And, what about Paul? What kind of a man was he? When he opposed the little band of Jewish Christians whose 'heresy' about Jesus was starting to spread, Paul was certainly what we would call 'hot' (Acts 8;1-3! But he was 'hot' for the wrong thing. In fact, you could call him a fanatic. He wasn't satisfied with persecuting those 'non-conformists' in Jerusalem, he wanted to root them out in other cities, like Damascus which is about 135 miles northeast of Jerusalem. He got some letters from the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem to go up there and drag them back to Jerusalem for a trial. But something dramatic happened on the way - he met Jesus (Acts 9:1-19) And that experience changed his life forever!
Would you say that Paul was 'hot' for Jesus then? Yes , he was. Look how the Lord turned Paul's life around in Damascus (Acts 9.20-25!
So many times Paul was tested (II Cor. 11.22-33) He wrote a bunch of letters in prison. Just before Paul died, he wrote his last letter to young Timothy, his faithful companion. Paul said, 'For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have dept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a Crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day. And not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing (II Tim. 4.6-8 KJV) Soon after that, the Romans chopped off Paul's head.
Jesus said, 'Be faithful, even if you must die. I will give you the Crown of life' (Rev. 2.10, KJV).
*xv. SOME INTERESTING FACTS
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WILLIAM PENN?
Did you know that...?
*He was way ahead of his time.
*He was once the largest, private landholder in America.
*He was America's first great champion of democracy and religious freedom.
*He set forth the democratic principles that served as an inspiration for the U.S. Constitution.
*As one of the earlier supporters of colonial unification, Penn wrote and urged for a union of all the English colonies. (This later became the United States of America!)
xvi. *He gave Pennsylvania a written constitution that limited the power of government.
*He guaranteed many fundamental liberties.
* He established a sanctuary in the New World that protected one's freedom of conscience.
*He offered equal rights to people of different races and religions.
*He spoke several languages.
*He insisted that women deserved equal rights with men.
*He provided for a humane prison system.
*He drafted a comprehensive plan for a United States of Europe.
THE POWER OF ONE
Those were some remarkable accomplishments for just one man! Although Benjamin Franklin usually gets more attention, it was William Penn who preceded him and deserves at least equal rank among the most remarkable men who have ever lived.
By creating Pennsylvania, William Penn set an enormously important example for liberty. he showed that people who are courageous enough, persistent enough, and resourceful enough Can live free.He went beyond the natural rights theories of his philosopher friend, John Locke and showed how a free society would actually work. He showed how individuals of different races and religions Can live together peacefully when they mind their own business. He affirmed the optimism of free people. Pennsylvania had many of the rights and liberties that would later be granted to the citizens of the United States after 1776.
What a life Penn lived! Was he an American? No, he wasn't. But he set the stage for what was to become America, a freedom-loving country. He visited his colony several times, but he ended up dying back in England. You see, he lived long before some of our founding fathers in America, like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Tom Paine. Our
*xvii. Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution would never have been written if it had not been for the influence of William Penn...But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
HIS PARENTS
Let's go back to the beginning of William's life. He was born on Oct. 14, 1644 in London, England and raised in the privileged Tower Hill section of town. Like most everyone else, his parents were Anglicans (English Catholic). His mother was Margaret Jasper, a widow of a Dutch sea captain. She was raised in Rotterdam, Holland as the daughter of an English business agent. And his father was Sir William Penn, Sr., who was seldom home because he lived on the high seas for years at a time, like his father before him. Penn Sr. was in great demand because he knew the waters around England extremely well. he could handle a ship in bad weather and always got the most out of his crew. he was eventually promoted to Admiral in the Royal Navy. And William Penn, Jr. was his only son, an only child.
Around the age of 12 in Ireland, at his father's castle, young William met a man named Thomas Loe who touched his heart with the simple message of Jesus. It was compelling. William never forgot that. About a decade later, he met up with Mr. Loe again. This time William started getting 'hot' for Jesus.
HIS TEEN YEARS
But William Jr. had a rebellious streak in his teenage years. At Oxford he didn't want to be forced to go to chapel or wear the church uniform. he got kicked out of school at the age of 17. This enraged his father. It was embarrassing. His father attacked young Penn with his cane and forced him out ohis home. But Penn's mother made peace in the family and
*xviii. allowed her son to return home. However, she quickly concluded that both her social standing and her husband's career could be threatened by her son's behavior. So at age 18, young Penn was sent off to Paris to get him out of the country, to improve his manners, and to expose him to another culture. You see, his father wanted the boy to be able to win favor in the court of King Charles II (1630-1685) (as he had done).
In France the boy attended the most respected French Protestant University. Wile there, he met Moise Amyraut, a Christian humanist who supported religious tolerance. He believed in free will (unlike the somber Puritans back in England with their rigid beliefs and crippling guilt). Penn studied with Amyraut for one year. Penn was encouraged to search for his own religious path. This encounter began to shaped his thinking about his fellow man. The extravagant display of wealth and privilege of the court of Louis XIV did not sit well with young Penn. He was also very uncomfortable with Catholic ritual. When William Penn, Jr. returned to England two years later, he was a handsome, sophisticated, well-mannered, young man...
*xix. for a while, the Admiral used his son as a special courier to deliver secret military messages directly to King Charles II. (1630-1685) That's how young William got to know the king so well. (That would be an important contact for him later.) He also became acquainted with the Duke of York, who would later become King James II (1633-1701).
In 1665 London was in the grip of the bubonic plague. Young Penn reflected on the intense suffering and the massive deaths. He noticed the way human beings reacted during the widespread epidemic. Penn wrote in his diary: "(This pestilence) gave me a deep sense of the vanity of this world, of the irreligiousness of the religions in it'. He noticed how the Quakers were very compassionate during those days, but they were regarded as criminals by the authorities. They were often arrested by the police and vilified. The Quakers were even accused of causing the plague! William Penn decided to become a Quaker.
IN THE TOWER OF LONDON
Soon after that time, William fell in love with Guliaelma Springett, and after a 4-year engagement they wee married in 1672. They had 7 children (but 4 of them died in infancy). She died in 1694 around the age of 50.
...This book, No Cross, No Crown, was written when William Penn was in prison! The king's men had had enough of Penn's troublesome, political pamphlets, and one in particular - The Shaky Foundation shaken. He was attacking major church doctrines of the Church of England. The Bishop of London ordered that Penn be held indefinitely, until he publicly recanted his written statements. The official charge was 'publication without a license' but the real crime was 'blasphemy' (as signed in a warrant by King Charles II) Young Penn also refused to swear an oath of allegiance to the king of England (because of what it says in Matt. 5.34). He wouldn't even take his hat off to the king as a sign of respect.
So, in 1668 the British authorities threw William Penn into the Tower
*xx. of London in an unheated cell in solitary confinement. He was threatened with a life sentence! But Penn was given plenty of paper and lots of ink to write a retraction of what he had said in The Shaky Foundation Shaken. but Penn said, 'My prison will be my grave before I will budge a jot, for I owe my conscience to no mortal man!'j That was when he wrote this inflammatory book, No Cross, No Crown. But they let him go after 8 months,and his conscience hadn't really changed. He is also famous for saying: 'Right is right , even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it!' His protests against the state church and the government were just beginning.
Young Penn was sprung from jail because of his family's rank more than by his principles. His father called for him and said, 'What's wrong with you!? The Admiral was very upset by his son's actions. His father had hoped that his son's charisma and intelligence would win the young man favor in the court of the king. but now his plans for his son were crushed. Though upset, the old Admiral tried his best to reason with his son, but it didn't do any good. His father feared for his own position, tool His son was on a dangerous course which might be at odds with the crown! But young Penn was more determined than ever. So, Sir William Penn felt that he had no choice but to order his son out of the house and to withhold his inheritance!
Young Penn was now homeless. he lived with several Quaker families . Unlike the Puritans, the Quakers had No political agenda. But they sincerely believed that every individual was Equal under God. But this contradicted the absolute position of the royal family of England; the monarchy was though to be divinely appointed by God. In those days, all minority groups were treated as 'heretics' because of their principles and their failure to pay tithes to the Church of England. They also refused to swear oaths of loyalty to the King.
HIS LEGAL BATTLES
William Penn was arrested six times for speaking out courageously
*xxi. against intolerance. He was always advocating personal rights, property rights and religious rights. among the most famous of these arrests was trial for preaching on the street in 1670. )He was getting 'hotter' for Jesus.) But Penn had studied common law and courtroom strategy in London back in 1664, and he was quite capable of challenging oppressive, government policies in court. He was an eloquent speaker and a prolific writer. His penetrating insights into the very basics of English law are still taught in law schools today. it turns out that Penn displayed a towering legal mind, and he won several big lawsuits.
In this particular case, he pleaded for his right to see a copy of the charges which were being laid out against him and the laws that he had allegedly broken. But the judge, the Lord Mayor of London, refused, even though this right was guaranteed by English law. The judge was not presenting a formal indictment. Furthermore, the judge directed the jury to come to a verdict Without hearing the defense! Despite heavy pressure from the Lord Mayor to convict the man, the jury returned a verdict of'not guilty' When invited by the judge to reconsider their verdict and to select a new foreman, the jury refused. They were all sent to cells for several nights to mull over their 'decision'. The judge said to them, 'You shall go together and bringing another verdict, or you shall starve!' The Lord Mayor sent Penn to Newgate Prison on a charge of contempt of court . But the jury wouldn't change their decision. So the Lord Mayor sent the entire jury to the same jail, and he fined each of them one year's wages. from this brutal prison, the members of that jury fought their case. It was called Bushell's Case.
Two months later, the Court of Common Pleas issued a writ of Habeas Corpus (foot - This is a document which demands that a prisoner be given an immediate hearing or else be released )to set them free. They had managed to win the right for All English juries to be free from the control of judges. This case was one of the more important trials in British history. It shaped the future concept of freedom in America, too.
Then that same jury sued Lord mayor of London for false arrest. After that, the Lord Chief Justice of England, along with his 11 fellow-judges
*xxii. ruled unanimously that juries must Not be coerced or punished fo their verdicts. Finally, the right to a trial by jury was protected.
'THE HOLY EXPERIMENT'
In the meantime, with his father dying, young Penn wanted to see him one more time and to patch up their differences. But he urged his father Not to pay his fine and free him: 'I entreat thee not to purchase my liberty'. But the Admiral refused to let that opportunity pass by. The old man paid the fine, thereby releasing his son from jail.
Over time, the old man gained respect for his son's integrity and courage. The Admiral told him, 'Let nothing in this world tempt you to wrong your conscience'. Knowing that after his death, young Penn would become more vulnerable in his pursuit of justice, the Admiral reinstated William Penn, Jr's inheritance. so, the son suddenly came into a large fortune. This significant act not only secured his son's protection but also set the conditions for the founding of Pennsylvania. The Admiral wrote to the Duke of York (the successor to the throne), requesting from the crown that, in return for the Admiral's lifetime service to King Charles II, the royal family would promise to shield young Penn and make him 'a royal counselor'. They agreed to do so.
Later, with the blessing of both King Charles II and the Duke of York, William Penn presented his case for religious tolerance before Parliament, but it was rejected. So, conditions for minorities were deteriorating.
After this, Penn became convinced that religious tolerance could Not be achieved in England. He had dreamed of his 'Holy Experiment' in which he could establish a utopian, American colony where there would be a Guaranteed freedom of religion.
So William Penn, Jr. proposed a solution which would solve the dilemma - a mass emigration of English Quakers to the New World. some Quakers had already moved to North America, but the New England
*xxiii. Puritans were just as hostile toward Quakers as the Anglicans were in England. And some of the Quakers had already been banished to the Caribbean. In 1677, a group of prominent Quakers (which included young Penn)purchased the colonial province of West Jersey (half of t;he current State of New Jersey). with the New Jersey foothold in place, Penn pressed his case to extend the Quaker region in America. So, Penn went straight to King Charles II and asked for a charter. And, surprisingly, he got it. it happened on March 4, 1681.
The King of England granted an extraordinarily generous charter to William Penn, Jr. Young Penn had all rights and privileges as the sole proprietor. (He could do anything but declare war.) The following day Penn was jubilant. He wrote in his diary: 'It is a clear and just thing, and my God who has given it to me through many difficulties, will, I believe, bless and make it the seed of a nation'. (He continued to get 'hotter' for Jesus).
The charter provided for the territory west of the Delaware River and north of Maryland. There were already about 1000 people there - some Germans, some Dutch people, and a few native Indians. But there was no real government present. No doubt, the king thought that this was a good way to get rid of most of the dissidents that were causing him so much trouble in England.
The background behind this large purchase is interesting: William Penn, Sr. had served in the Commonwealth Navy during the English Civil War and was rewarded by Oliver Cromwell with land estates in Ireland. But the lands were seized from Irish Catholics in retaliation for an earlier massacre of Protestants. After Cromwell died, the royalists resurged. The middle class aligned itself with the royalists San Admiral Penn was sent on a secret mission to bring back exiled Prince Charles. For his role in restoring the monarch, Admiral Penn was knighted and gained a powerful position as Commissioner of the navy. the crown was re-established, but King Charles II still harassed and persecuted all religions and sects other than the Anglican Church.
Once the Penn family returned to England from Ireland, King Charles
*xxiv. II owed the Admiral a whole lot of money for helping to reinstate him as king. It was the Admiral's back pay. So a proposal was made for the king to pay off this debt. It was 16,000 pounds. The king cancelled this debt by transferring to him 45,000 square miles of land in the New World. That was bigger than all of England! (That tract of land is now eastern New Jersey , Delaware and Pennsylvania). William Penn, Jr. would become the largest, private landowner in American history. The king suggested that it should be called 'Pennsylvania' out of respect for Sir William Penn Sr.
So young William Penn received that special charter to be the proprietor of a new colony of Englishmen in the New World. On Nov. 8, 1682, he set sail on the ship called "Welcome" to go see it. The voyage took 8 weeks. Many of the passengers fell sick and died on the way. A compassionate Penn volunteered to help them. (He was getting 'hotter' for Jesus.) During that same year, he revised his book, No Cross, No Crown, which he had written when he was in prison back in 1668
THE NEW COLONY
William Penn was both idealistic and practical. He loved to soar, but he had the good sense to pull back, too. He was pragmatic. He worked hard to write The First Frame of Government, a legal basis for a free society. (It took over 20 drafts.) It was the first constitution. Amazingly, it Limited the power of government. And, through amendments, it allowed for peaceful change, but any amendment could only be passed by both the consent of the Governor and 85% of the elected representatives. and citizens had the right to own private property. This is some of the wording of that
xxv. historic document: 'Men being born with a title to perfect freedom and uncontrolled enjoyment of all the rights and privileges of the law of nature. ...No one can be put out of his estate and subjected to the political view of another without his consent.'
Penn himself would be the Governor, and there would be a Council of 72 members which would propose legislation, and then a General Assembly (up to 500 members), which could either approve or defeat proposed legislation. Each year, one-third of the members would be elected for 3-year terms. governor William Penn retained a veto over any proposed legislation. This form of government provided for virtually unlimited free enterprise, a free press, trial by jury, and religious tolerance. Back in England, the death penalty was given for 200 offenses, but Penn reserved the death penalty for only two crimes - murder and treason. He insisted on low taxes, too. He even suspended all taxes for a year to help promote settlements. The final version of their constitution which was adopted in 1701 lasted for 75 years, and it became the basis of Pennsylvania's state constitution (adopted in 1776).
Penn also drew up a detailed design for an entire city. It was going to be called 'Philadelphia' (which means, 'The City of Brotherly Love' in Greek). Under his direction, the city of Philadelphia was carefully planned and developed. Penn wanted to build a 10,000-acre city, but his friends thought that was overly optimistic. He settled for 1,200 acres to start with. Penn wanted 80-acre gentleman's estates to surround the core of the city. Each of these mansions was to be set apart by at least 800 feet from its neighbor and surrounded by fields and gardens - a sort of greenbelt that encircled the metropolis, like a modern suburb. strangely, there was no military draft. Quakers were pacifists.
People from everywhere flocked to Penn's new colony (Jews, Catholics, the Irish, the Welsh, Lutherans, some Dutch, Swedes, Finns, Mennonites, the Amish, Huguenots, Dunkers, Moravians, Pietists and Schwenkfelders/). Pennsylvania was developing into a successful 'melting pot'.
They liked Penn's concept of freedom very much. He advocated that
xxvi. 'all men are created equal'. Penn had a saying: 'MEN MUST BE GOVERNED BY GOD, OR THEY WILL BE RULED BY TYRANTS.' He wrote: 'No men...hath power or authority to rule over men's consciences in religious matters'. Penn guaranteed
free and fair trials by jury
progressive prisons
freedom of religion,
freedom from unjust imprisonment
free elections, and
a separation of powers.
The laws of public behavior that Penn laid out were rather Puritanical though - no swearing, lying,or drunkenness. 'Idle amusements' such as stage plays, gambling, carousing, masquerade parties, cock-fighting and bear-baiting were forbidden.
Penn vigorously marketed the colony throughout Europe in various languages. he wanted everybody to come to American. Penn was very convincing, too. He persuaded many emigrants from several nations to take the dangerous, ocean passage to settle in the New World. and he persuaded speculators to invest in property there. Penn planned to make money by selling tracts of land, and, although he was able to attract a good number of investors, he never realized the financial profits that he imagined.
DEALING WITH THE INDIANS
Who was this young, aristocratic governor? Was he a religious freak?after the building plans for Philadelphia had been completed and Penn's political ideas had been put into a workable form, he explored the interior of his colony.
He was a realist. He would not permit any white settlers to come into his lands until peace treaties with the Indians were in place. And, William Penn insisted on paying the Indians a fair price for their land - even if that meant buy the land three times over!
Penn befriended the local Indians, primarily the Delaware tribe.he even learned several different Indian dialects in order to negotiate directly with them without interpreters! Penn was tall, good looking, and very athletic. (Back in England he would often run 3 miles to school).Here in
xxvii. America he walked unarmed and unafraid among the Indians. They were impressed that he could outrun any of them. He always treated them with respect. He is famous for his 'Great Treaty' with the Indians. Penn's various treaties with most of the Indians lasted for 7 decades. the Indians were at peace with the colonists of Pennsylvania much longer than any other English colony because of Penn's fairness.
TROUBLE BACK IN ENGLAND
But thee were problems that needed his immediate attention back in England. He had to appear in court in 1684 against Lord Baltimore over a border dispute between their two colonies - Maryland and Pennsylvania. Lord Baltimore was controlling the territory south of Pennsylvania. Penn had not taken the simple step of determining exactly where the 40th degree of latitude actually was. Under Penn's charter, it was supposed to be the southern boundary of his land. But dissension arose between the two proprietors after Penn sent letters to several landowners in Maryland and that they didn't have to pay anymore taxes to Lord Baltimore.
And, the political climate in England was changing . Internal political conflicts there even threatened to revoke his Pennsylvania charter. William Penn was going to need to use all his charm and grace to persuade the king to release some political prisoners as well. Some of Penn's religious friends had been thrown into prison, and a few of them had even been executed. So, Penn intervened diplomatically with his old friend, the Duke of York (who was now named King James II after his brother King Charles II died in 1685). Penn saved quite a number of Quakers from the gallows.
The England of the 1690s was a tumultuous place , especially for an outspoken, liberal Quaker like William Penn. But he never backed away from a political fight. but his forthrightness was dangerous. Because Penn had supported James II (and James II (a Stuart king) was dethroned by
*xxviii William III and Queen Mary), Penn was automatically suspected of treason. He was arrested by the government. and, the British government seized his estates. Penn was eventually cleared of all charges but he was still tainted as a 'traitor'. for the next 4 years he was a fugitive in London, hiding everywhere in the slum sections. That is why Penn lost some control over his colony briefly from 1692 to 1694. And he received another setback. His dear wife 'Guli' died in 1694. It was his good friend John Locke who helped to restore his good name.
Almost two years later, William Penn married a much younger woman named Hannah Callowhill. His spirit revived. he was 52 years old, and she was around 25. She would give birth to 8 more children in a dozen years but the first 2 died in infancy.
GOVERNOR PENN RETURNED TO HIS COLONY
In 1699 William Penn returned to Pennsylvania, the English colony that he owned. Tod his delight, he found that it was flourishing - 18,000 people had settled there.Philadelphia, had now grown to a population of about 3,000 people. His previously-planted trees were everywhere. Philadelphia was now a big seaport. sometimes more than 100 trading ships were anchored in its harbor on any given day. The people enjoyed all sorts of imported goods that came from England.America was now a viable market for English wares. and, most importantly to Penn, religious diversity was succeeding. there was an educated work force and a high literacy rate. Many were learned in science and medicine. Banks thrived, but the province still had to turned a profit. Penn was too soft. He couldn't seem to collect the taxes which were due to him. people wanted to pay him in barter instead of cash. Merchants were much more interested in making money than in his pacifist theology.
But the Quakers were beginning to retreat from the mainstream of the colony. the budding commonwealth was becoming more and more
xxix. 'worldly' all the time. After Penn's death, Pennsylvania slowly drifted away from being a colony that was founded on religion to a secular state dominated by commerce. Many of Penn;'s legal and political innovations took root, however. 50 years after his death,the Pennsylvania Quakers withdrew from politics entirely. They were unable to run a pacifist colony without William Penn.
Unfortunately, during Penn's long absence from his colony, political squabbling had set in. Changes in local leadership had taken place. In what is now Delaware, Penn's Quaker government was not viewed favorably by the Dutch, the Swedish or the English settlers. Those people had no 'historical' allegiance to Pennsylvania. So almost immediately, they began petitioning for their own separate Assembly. in 1691 a man named George Keith also led a religious division, and this cause 'Pennsylvania' and 'Delaware' finally achieved their goal. the three southernmost counties were permitted to split off from'Pennsylvania'; and become the new semi-autonomous colony of 'Lower Delaware'. New castle was the most prominent, prosperous and influential city in that new colony, so it became their new capital.
Their 'Charter of Privileges' allowed the Assembly greater autonomy. This new charter governed the people until the American Revolution occurred.It effectively gave voters more power than Penn had by eliminating the Upper House (which represented mostly the wealthy class). also,Jews and non-Christians were bared from holding public office.
Back in 1696, the charter of William Markham(Penn's secretary and then governor of Delaware) had replaced the earlier Frame.However , when Penn returned in 1701, he revised that version of it. By the time Penn left in November of that year, the colony's assembly was elected yearly and enjoyed a more powerful position than the Governor, who, despite his veto power, was secondary in importance to their legislative body.
Penn yearned to remain in the New World,wanting to settle down in his beloved Pennsbury estate (up the Delaware River a little ways from
xxx. Philadelphia), but there were even more political problems back in England which forced his return there.So Penn went back home to face some very expensive legal battles. Some of his opponents were trying to convert his province into a colony directly ruled by the crown. But Queen Anne received Penn favorably, and he was able to retain his holdings in America.
THE LAST PART OF WILLIAM PENN'S LIFE
Penn's latter years were clouded by debt and illness. Penn had some surprises in store for him when he got back to England. Immediately he became swamped in financial and family troubles. His oldest son (William ) was leading a wild life, neglecting his wife and two children and running up huge gambling debts. Penn had hoped that this son would succeed him in America, but now Penn could not even pay his son's debts. And, Penn's own finances were in shambles. He had sunk over 30,000 pounds in America and received very little back except in the form of some bartered goods. Penn had also made many generous loans, but he couldn't collection them.
The end of Penn's life was a tragedy of betrayal. He never cared much about money, though he had lots and lots of it. He treated his Pennsylvania property as sort of a hobby. He was so immensely rich that he could afford to lose money on it. he was just too idealistic to bother himself with the details of business . Over the course of his lifetime, his settlements always lost money and William Penn subsidized them generously from his other assets. Although Penn exhibited a remarkable organizational talent, his management skill was mostly lax, his judgement of agents often proved too trusting and he permitted himself to be exploited by poorly-designed contracts which led to his eventual financial ruin. William Penn's sloppiness eventually caught up with him.
One of Penn's closest friends betrayed him. He was a fellow Quaker. his name was Philip Ford. ford embezzled very large sums from Penn's estates. Ford cheated Penn out of thousands of British pounds by concealing and
xxxi and diverting rents from Penn's Iris lands, claiming losses , then extracting loans from Penn to cover the shortfall. Penn never suspected that this was going on. Penn would often sign papers without even reading them. But one of the papers turned out to be a deed transferring All of Pennsylvania to Ford! Then Ford later demanded full rent from Penn!!
To make matters worse , after Ford died in 1702, Ford's widow (Bridget threatened t o sell all of Pennsylvania (to which she could prove that she had the title). Penn sent his son William to America to manage affairs but he proved to be just as unreliable as he had been in England.
At that time, there were considerable discussions about scraping Penn's constitution altogether. In desperation, Penn tried to sell the Pennsylvania colony back to the crown (before Bridget Ford got wind of his plan). However, because Penn insisted that the crown should uphold the civil liberties that had been achieved, he could not strike a deal with the king. Mrs. ford took her case to court. She succeeded in convincing the court to incarcerate William Penn. at age 62, Penn landed in debtor's prison! however, the court's sympathy reduced Penn's punishment to house arrest. when a group of Quakers arranged for Ford's estate to receive a payment for back rent, Penn was released form jail. Later, in 1708 Mrs Ford was finally denied her claim to Pennsylvania! The lord Chancellor ruled in Penn's favor.
His wife Hannah managed all of his affairs until he died on July 30, 1718. He was 73 years old. He died penniless. She was the sole executor of his estate. He was 73 years old. He died penniless. She was the sole executor of his estate. she became the De Facto governor of Pennsylvania.
after Hannah's death in 1726 the proprietorship (def- person who has exclusive right or title to something; owner).of Pennsylvania passed on to their three sons. Their names were John, Thomas and Richard. His sons renounced the Quaker faith and they made a big profit on the colonies after they inherited them. They lived an immoral life, releasing their
xxxii colonial agents to exploit Penn's former commitments with the Indians. their agents cheated them out of everything that William Penn had promised to them.
William Penn's family retained ownership of the colony of Pennsylvania until the American Revolution. at that time, the colony had grown to about 300,000 people. between 1740 and 1776, Philadelphia presses alone published 11,000 pamphlets, almanacs and books. And there were 7 newspapers. The city of Philadelphia was an intellectual center. The stage was set for American independence. in 1984 President Ronald Reagan by an Act of Congress declared William Penn an Honorary Citizen of the United States.
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