More handpicked essays just for you.
summary of william penn and the quaker legacy
religious life in colonial america
religious life in colonial america
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: summary of william penn and the quaker legacy
William Penn
William Penn was born and raised in England, but he is well known for what he did in the Americas. First and foremost, William Penn was a religious nonconformist and writer: he wrote numerous religious books over his lifetime. Second, Penn is responsible for the “holy experiment”: the colony of Pennsylvania. He was a Quaker advocate, and as a proprietor had the opportunity to practice the Quaker Peace testimony.
Penn was interested in religion from the time he was a child. When he was twelve years old he had the opportunity to hear testimony from a traveling Quaker minister, Thomas Loe. Penn was touched by Loe’s message, and sought the ‘authentic Christian message’ rather then focusing on ‘institutional’ religion. At the age of 16, Penn started attending Oxford University. It was at Oxford University, that William began to reject Anglicanism and he began attending unauthorized prayer meetings. At this time, he was expelled for his “religious unconformity”. He then attended a Protestant school in France, where he completed his education.
When Penn turned 23, he converted and became a Quaker after another run in with Thomas Loe. He then began to write down his religious ideas, and took a lot of criticism from other scholars. Penn wrote the book Sandy Foundations Shaken which was considered “controversial and superficial” and for this, was imprisoned in the Tower of London. While imprisoned, Penn kept writing. He wrote the book No Cross, No Crown, which was a ...
Unlike Winthrop who called for shared cooperation, Penn upheld liberty of conscience and affirmed that no entity has the authority to rule over one’s consciousness. Specifically writing the law, “That, in all courts all persons of all persuasions may freely appear in their own way, and according to their own manners and there personally plead their own cause themselves” (Frame of Government of Pennsylvania). Certainly, he understood the individual’s right to his own thinking, even going as far as entrusting them to advocate for themselves in the court of law. Further, religious liberty also took root in
These Puritans were strongly opposed to the church of England. They felt that the church had become corrupt and defiled because of the idolatrous worship. They began to meet in secret until one day they were discovered. Among these was Wilford Bradford, a young man who joined the Pilgrims religious group. In later chapters we see an older Bradford becomes Governor of the Plymouth colony who is also student of the Hebrew language;for he believed that he would achieve a stronger connection with God. Very early in his life, Bradford read the Bible and sought to please God and he believed that the best way to do this would be to separate from the church of
Have you ever wondered whose hands our country was in at the start of our time? Captain John Smith was one of the first American heroes. He was the first man to promote a permanent settlement of America. William Bradford was a Puritan who was courageous and determined to set up a colony where citizens could worship freely. Although both of these men were two of America’s heroes, they had more differences than known.
He was born in Baltimore in 1748, but his story begins long before his birth. It started when his father’s family immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1680’s. His father just so happened to move to Maryland, where he met his wife, married her, and settled in Baltimore where William was to be born. William had many hard times and little schooling until he was ten, when his family moved to North Carolina.
Penn voluntarily converted from Anglicanism to Quakerism at the ripe age of 22. His father being a highly decorated and wealthy English Admiral, Penn left behind when he became a Quaker and was punished with stints in prison multiple times for his beliefs. Having been a member of both the Anglican Church and the Society of Friends, Penn experienced the majority and repressed religious groups of his country. This duality of experience inspired a belief in freedom of conscience and the futility
A short background of how all of this even happened was due to King Charles II of England owing money to William Penn’s father because of a large loan he had with him. He gave it to William Penn because his father had already passed. He granted Penn a quite large piece of land west and south of New Jersey.The date of this offer was made on March 4, 1681. William Penn named the area Sylvania, which was Latin for woods. King Charles II then changed the name of the land to Pennsylvania in honor of William’s father. Penn being a quaker, had many ideas of making that land a place where anyone could come to worship their god freely. Being free to worship how they want, the English, Dutch, Welsh, German, French Protestants, Mennonites, Amish, Lutherans (from Catholic German states), and Dutch Quakers decided to head to that colony. Pennsylvania was confirmed to be William Penn’s land on January 5, 1681 and once that happened he started to sell the land, causing people to emigrate to his land. With Pennsylvania being about forty thousand square miles, he sold parts of the land for forty shillings per one hundred acres and one hundred pounds for five thousand acres.
The King of England awarded William Penn a large amount of land in 1681 as part of a debt he owed to the family. The King called this area Pennsylvania. Penn sought to change the name of this region so that it was not assumed that he had named it after himself in vain. Penn was passionate about the believe system of the Quakers and established a “surprisingly modern atmosphere in an unmodern age.” Pennsylvania was well advertised toward potential new settlers and attracted many people. It was a society based on the freedom of worship, peacefulness towards Indians, no restrictions on immigration, and a dislike for black slavery. The death penalty was only used for treason and murder.
Amish may be found throughout the United States, however, the large majority of them immigrated from Switzerland to Pennsylvania. “The Amish church began with a schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann. Those who followed him became known as Amish”. (Amish, 2014) When the Amish settled in Pennsylvania they acquired a language of Pennsylvania German, also known as Pennsylvania Dutch. The Amish culture is a growing culture within the United States. The Amish were saved from extinction by William Penn who allowed them a place to reside from religious persecution in America. William Penn was one of the founders of Pennsylvania. He believed greatly in religious freedom and wanted to create a place almost like a refugee for people to be able to go to escape the cruelty that is bestowed upon different religions. Although it is thought that the largest Amish population resides in Pennsylvania, in reality, Ohio has the largest Amish population in the United States and Canada and currently there is no Amish living in Europe.
“Religion is the backbone of evolution.” Without the cultural differences and belief systems we would not have a regulated religious base. It is evident some religions can be both alike but yet still very different. The historical William Bradford and Jonathan Edwards demonstrate this theory. William Bradford portrays more leniencies while allowing for more religious tolerance within the puritan community. With some contrasting beliefs but familiar goals, Jonathan Edwards, pursued a stricter religious background. Both of these author’s play an important role in sculpting the puritan way of life.
During the 17th century, many Puritans set sail for New England in order to escape religious persecution and re-create an English society that was accepting of the Puritan faith. John Winthrop, an educated lawyer from England who later became governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, was one of the first in North America to advocate Puritan ideals and lifestyle. Winthrop delivered his sermon A Model of Christian Charity, in hopes of encouraging his shipmates to establish a truly spiritual community abroad. Almost fifty years later, a Puritan named Mary Rowlandson, daughter of a wealthy landowner and wife of a minister, wrote A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, describing her 11-week captivity by native Indians after an attack on Lancaster. Rowlandson recounts her story with heroism and appreciation for God. Although John Winthrop and Mary Rowlandson were in entirely different situations when composing their literary works, both writings reflect many of the same ideals that characterize the Puritan mind, such as the belief in God's mercy, the acceptance of one's condition in life, and the importance of a strong community.
For many years he was the British postmaster for the colonies, which enabled him to set up the first national communications network. He was active in community affairs, colonial and state politics, as well as national and international affairs. From 1785 to 1788, he served as governor of Pennsylvania. Toward the end of his life, he freed his own slaves and became one of the most prominent
William Bradford (1590-1657) was probably the most famous Pilgrim that journeyed to Plymouth. Aboard the Mayflower, his peers chose Bradford as the future governor of the English separatist
William Penn was born in 1644 in England. He was the son of a famed naval commander, Admiral Sir William Penn Sr. When he was very young, Penn caught smallpox, which resulted in him being bald from a very young age. His parents were prompted by the disease to move to the countryside. He recovered favorably, and soon found a love for horticulture in the local farms. The family was a neighbor to the famed diarist Samuel Pepys, who allegedly attempted to seduce Penn’s mother. Penn was educated at Chigwell School, where he absorbed many Puritan values, though he opposed the Puritan ideals in his later life. After a failed campaign in the Caribbean, Penn’s father was exiled to their lands in Irel...
In the New World Bradford and Morton were both important men of our history. The stories of both great men give us an insight into the way religion and influence affected Puritan life.
In 1652 George Fox, standing on Pendle Hill in England, had a vision. This was the beginning of the Religious Society of Friends. Before 1650 the Quaker movement were basically unknown, in a year or two the seemed to be all over the place. This time period was called the Quaker Explosion. George Fox saw a great people to be gathered and this people included Puritans, Separatists and presumably others without a label. Among all these different kinds of people what was there in common to make them feel that Fox was what the wanted? The answer is probably that that were looking for a spiritual religion, rather than the religion of conformity. There was resentment against ecclesiastical authority and so a readiness to listen to Fox's assurance that there was only one authority Christ himself and that his authority was to be known directly in the human heart. The message that "Christ has come to teach his people himself" may be called the slogan of the early Quakers.