USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Although born into a distinguished Anglican family and the son of Admiral Sir William Penn, Penn joined the Religious Society of Friends or Quakers at the age of 22.

Detailed explanation-2: -He became a leading defender of religious freedom and was arrested and tried on several occasions. Penn used his diplomatic skills and political connections to free Quakers from jail and help them travel to America. In 1681, King Charles II granted him a charter to found a new colony in America.

Detailed explanation-3: -William Penn, (born October 14, 1644, London, England-died July 30, 1718, Buckinghamshire), English Quaker leader and advocate of religious freedom, who oversaw the founding of the American Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a refuge for Quakers and other religious minorities of Europe.

Detailed explanation-4: -Penn and other Quakers believed that everyone had to seek God in his or her own way. Penn also thought that religious tolerance – or “liberty of conscience” – would create stronger governments and wealthier societies. Other English thinkers in the 1600s shared these ideas.

Detailed explanation-5: -As sole proprietor, Penn established the Province of Pennsylvania (meaning “Penn’s Woods” and named for his father) as a “holy experiment”-intended for Quakers but open to everyone.