penn’s woods: the godly utopia of the society of friends
TRANSCRIPT
Penn’s Woods:
The Godly Utopia
of the
Society of Friends
The Seed of a Nation
“ Penn, more than any other individual founder or colonist, proved to be the chosen vessel through which the stream of demand for respect for individual rights was to flow so richly into our American reservoir of precious ideals.”
William Wistar Comfort
American Quaker, 1947
Who was William Penn?
• Born in England 1644.• Converted to Quakerism in his mid twenties.• Imprisoned for sharing his religious beliefs.• Inherited a debt owed to his father by King
Charles II.• Given a large chunk of New World land to pay
off the debt.• Planned a new colony based on Quaker ideals
of peace and brotherly love.• Called his new colony a “Holy Experiment”.
Original Charter of Charles II to William Penn
King Charles signing the Charter of Pennsylvania
If William Penn believed in peace ad brotherly love, why is he wearing a suit of
armor in this portrait?
What did the Quakers believe?
• They believed in equality, simplicity, peace, human integrity and truth.
Penn expanded upon the experiences of the Quaker Society of Friends already in the New
World to create his colony’s government.
• Frame of Government• Great Law• Charter of Privileges• County Commission
• Many historians believe Penn’s “Holy Experiment” formed the pattern for the system of government we have today.
William Penn’s Purchases from the Indians
Penn designed Philadelphia and other towns
with a grid pattern of streets.
Penn’s city design was organized to promote health and fire safety among the
citizens.
In 1639, Penn wrote a plan for “Present and Future Peace of
Europe”.
• This plan is considered to be the prototype of the United Nations.
• UN Day is celebrated on Penn’s birthday.
Was Penn fair to the Native Americans?
Did he respect the other religions?
When in 1733 St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church was founded in Pennsylvania, it was the only place in the entire English speaking world where public celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was permitted by law.
How do you think the Society of Friends felt about the practice of slavery?
What did The Society of Friends think about the environment
Quakers were activists for many causes.
• Women’s Rights
• Concern for the Poor and Handicapped
• Prison Reform
• Animal Rights
Would you have liked to have been a part of William Penn’s Holy Experiment?