Colonial Pennsylvania
Michael Stroup
Introduction
Pennsylvania has a very valuable backstory. Not just Gettysburg or the founding of Harrisburg but the very beginning of Pennsylvania. PA once was home to hardy Swedish people that were settled in the mid 1600. The man that founded Pennsylvania William Penn was a quaker. The first and second continental congress was held in Philadelphia PA in 1775 and in 1775-1781. As Pennsylvania ages each day so does the memory of its past.
Pennsylvania in the beginning
William Penn
Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War
The beginning of Pennsylvania
In the beginning Pennsylvania wasn't always controlled by the British it was once ruled by Sweden. The very first settlers in Pennsylvania were Swedish people who settled in the mid-1600. Then in 1675, The Great Iroquois Massacre happened. Some Indians survived, but most died from foreign European diseases. Before long, the British took over America in 1681 with King Charles II giving William Penn permission to create the Pennsylvania colony. When William Penn was making the rules of Pennsylvania, he decided to make Pennsylvania a place of "religious freedom". During 1680, Pennsylvania had only 700 people living in it. Then in 1700, the population jumped to 18,000 and at 1750 it reached 120,000. One important man in Pennsylvania's history is William Penn. I only went over his important achievement, now I will tell you about his life and the power that was given to him.
William Penn
After William Penn gained Pennsylvania, his religion, his popularity with settlers and Native Americans formed a great bond between Pennsylvanians and William Penn. William Penn's religion was Quakerism. How he was persuaded to become a quaker was by Thomas Loe an influential Quaker leader. During his lifetime, William Penn only visited Pennsylvania twice yet was liked by settlers and Indians. William Penn wanted Pennsylvania to a place for religious freedom. He also considered it a "Holy Experiment". He also settled Philadelphia which is also known as "the city of brotherly love". William Penn got his land from King Charles II for his debt that was owed to his deceased father. As we move on we reach the beginning of the Revolutionary War, an important time in Pennsylvania's and the rest of the thirteen colonies timeline.
Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War
The Continental Congress at first didn't want to start a war on Britain until Britain reinforced the Stamp Act. Later on when the first and second Continental Congress held at Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1776. The Declaration of Independence was created by the colonies and adopted by the Pennsylvania State house. A few reasons why America separated from Britain was the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act might have been one of the unfair taxes that made the thirteen colonies snap and revolt against the British Empire. Some people would protest by throwing rocks or snowballs to disobey. Another reason why America is separating from England is because most people from Colonial America were from different countries like Ireland, didn't disobey because they never came from England. Philadelphia was held under British control from September 1777 to June 1778. When the Revolutionary War starts to end so does Colonial America and a creation of a new country.
Conclusion
As you can tell, Pennsylvania has a great history to it. Some of its greatest points in Pennsylvania are during it's Colonial era. Before Britain took over, Pennsylvania was ruled by Sweeds that were settled in mid-1600. One famous quaker is William Penn. Philadelphia in 1174, 1775, and 1781 held the Continental Congress for Colonial America. Now you know more about Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania's Colonial era has both important founders and key historical timelines.
Glossary
Declaration: A formal or explicit statement or announcement
Massacre: An indiscriminate and brutal slaughter of people
Quakers: quakers or friends are members of a group of religious Christian movement
Sources
Book: The Pennsylvania Colony : World Almanac, the Liberty States, Pennsylvania
Online: Muller,Edward K., and William C. Rence."Pennsylvania" World book student, World book, 2016.web. 3 Mar. 2016.
All about the author
The author of this essay is Michael Stroup. I like the color red. My favorite food is macaroni and cheese.Also, I love all of our family's pets except for mr. gobbles.