A history of the American nation . William Penn may„,.„. „ justly be called one of the great men of our his- Wilham Penn. i tt* r i tory.^ His father was a man of importancein England in the days of Charles II and was greatly shocked^ ,., when his son joined the Quak- ^- ^^^ ers—common and simple people, most of them. But the youngman clung to his faith and suf-fered and toiled with the spite of his social positionhe was many times in prison;and these rough experienceshad doubtless their effect indeepening his sympathies withthe poor and the schools as they were, theOld
A history of the American nation . William Penn may„,.„. „ justly be called one of the great men of our his- Wilham Penn. i tt* r i tory.^ His father was a man of importancein England in the days of Charles II and was greatly shocked^ ,., when his son joined the Quak- ^- ^^^ ers—common and simple people, most of them. But the youngman clung to his faith and suf-fered and toiled with the spite of his social positionhe was many times in prison;and these rough experienceshad doubtless their effect indeepening his sympathies withthe poor and the schools as they were, theOld Bailey and the Tower mayhave given him broader viewsof life and led him to see withgreater clearness the needs ofmen and the crime and folliesof the state. When Penns father died, he-was left wealthy, inheritingclaims on the Government to a large amount. The frivolousCharles II had no zeal for paying debts in cash,and so in 1681 Penn received in satisfaction ofhis claim a vast estate, stretching westward from the Delaware. Penns colony. ^ His father, Admiral Penn, had won distinction by the capture ofJamaica and stood in special favor at court because he had helped to rein- THE MIDDLE COLONIES—1614-1700 83 River through five degrees of longitude.^ The king gave thename of Pennsylvania to the province in honor of Penns had powers in his hands as proprietor of the province,a power in most respects hke that of Lord Baltimore in Mary-land ; but he planned to establish a free common-Commonweaith. Wealth and not to wait till privileges were wrestedfrom He issued the Frame of Govern-ment, a generous bestowal of powers upon the people, andthe colony took upon itself most of the rights and burdens ofself government. The Frame proved cumbrous and heavy state the Stuarts. The son, while a student at Oxford, was much affectedby the teachings of the Quakers. Refusing to attend the religious servicesof the University, he was expelled and sent home in disgrace. He
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