Standing on the deck of the “Welcome” ship, William Penn gazed at the distant land on the horizon. The thirty-eight year old Englishman was determined to create a paradise where every Christian could worship freely.
On March 4, 1681, King Charles II of England granted William Penn a large amount of land in the west and south of New Jersey, in order to settle a loan with Penn's late father. The king named the land Pennsylvania (Penn’s Forest) in honor of the elder Penn, and younger Penn was the ‘Absolute Proprietor’ of the province as long as he paid the king two beaver skins and 20% of any gold or silver every year.
Because he was once a persecuted Quaker, Penn drafted a charter of liberties when designing the government of Pennsylvania, which guaranteed the freedom of religion. Such inclusiveness and harmony demonstrated by Penn drove massive immigration into the province. The center of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, began to be populated with people of all ethnic, religious, and social backgrounds, causing the total population to exponentially grow, from 2,684 residents in 1710 to 32,073 residents in 1775.
By the eve of the American Revolution, Pennsylvania stood out as the most diverse colony in British North America, home to significant populations of Germans (about one-third of the colony's population in 1776), Irish, Welsh, Ulster Scots (about one-quarter of the population), and various other European groups. Furthermore, during the eighteenth century, Pennsylvania was unique in several respects: Philadelphia was the only place with a legally functioning Roman Catholic Church protected by the authorities and religious objectors to war were not penalized.
William Penn’s inclusive policies attracted a wide array of settlers who, in turn, contributed to Pennsylvania's prosperity. Philadelphia's Germantown, for instance, because a center of manufacturing, with a great impact on the local economy. Germans established gristmills, textile mills, and even America's first paper mill. German immigrants also entered the publishing industry, producing newspapers, religious texts, and children's books in German.
In Dutchland, Pennsylvanian Dutch settlers introduced distinctive barns, hex signs, and rural folk art. Their farmers, engaged in iron forge and furnace manufacturing, transported their goods to the nation’s capital, contributing greatly to the new colony’s economy.
The Irish, the largest ethnic group in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties, made up a significant portion of the labor force, brought a strong sense of patriotism, and created a strong cultural community, with traditions such as the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The thriving immigrant communities also spurred economic growth, as the influx of European middle-class merchants and traders significantly boosted Pennsylvania’s interstate and international commerce, leading to commercial success.
Poet Matthew Arnold once defined what culture is in his book: “Mutual perfection is achieved by learning the essence of human thought and behavior.” In Pennsylvania, the inclusive and tolerant policies were key to its extensive cultural exchange and integration. A diverse array of immigrants entered Pennsylvania and began to build the colony’s culture. The rich culture and diverse communities in Pennsylvania that we see today can all be attributed to Penn's inclusive policies during the founding of Pennsylvania.
Cover Image From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Pennsylvania
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