Our little nation is slowly coming together though we haven’t even reached independence yet.
In 1681, the king of England granted a charter to William Penn to establish a colony. This colony was called (I feel like I need a drumroll since it is so obvious), Pennsylvania. This word is derived from Latin and means, “Penn’s Woods.”
This colony was established primarily for the Quakers. Penn wanted to be a colony based on fair and equal trade even with the natives.
So what is a Quaker?
This term Quaker refers to a group of people who called themselves the “Society of Friends.” They formed this society in the mid-1600’s. They refer to each other as “friends” after the verse in John 15:14. “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” The reason they were given the name Quaker was because their founder, George Fox, told a judge once to “quake before the authority of God.” The Quakers were peace loving people and did not fight in wars. They did much to live peacefully among the Indians.
Penn did a lot of work with the Indians to establish a peace with them.
The king of England bestowed this land on William Penn “free” so long as he gave him two beaver pelts each year and 1/5th of any gold or silver found. Penn, himself, was looking to make this colony a new “holy experiment.” He would not battle with the Indians and wanted instead to trade with them and treat them kindly.
Our country was growing and freedom of religion was abundant and yet many still kept to their British ways. Many still thought them above the natives and treated them so. Penn did not. He established trading with them and accepted them as part of this New World.
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 3:28