Jonathan's Discussion Questions for Oct. 11/12
Please read as much as you can of Moretta's William Penn and the Quaker Legacy. (Hint: Pay close attention to the author's preface and the epilogue, these often give you the most succinct statement of the author's argument.) Also look at Penn's "Frame of Government of Pennsylvania." What were some of Penn's strengths and weaknesses? What did he do right? What were some of his mistakes? Also, what's different about the founding of Pennsylvania as compared to Massachusetts?
Please make sure to bring the Moretta book and a copy of the Frame of Government to class. It will be important for our discussion. Thanks.
Please make sure to bring the Moretta book and a copy of the Frame of Government to class. It will be important for our discussion. Thanks.
posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:42 AM
23 Comments:
William Penn came from a wealthy and powerful family his father was a warrior aristocrat. He was politically savvy and got along well with the Stuart court. Penn decided to take up a new religion of being a Quaker, which unlike the Puritans, Quakers believed in freedom of speech, press, and religion. Coming from a powerful family Penn was a good leader of the Quakers, but his biggest mistake was leaving Pennsylvania to live in England for 15 years. Although Moretta explains that Penn loved England more than the colonies, he could not lead the Quakers from overseas. Once he returned to the colonies the damage was already done. With his 15 year absence he lost most all of his authority. Another fault of Penn is his lack of a family life and he was disliked by many people below his class. His was considered to be “temperamental, petty, tactless, and vindictive.”
William Penn had many strenghts. He was a visionary who took action when he led the Quakers to Pennsylvania. Penn wanted to establish a place where people "of all religions and national backgrounds" could coexist. He was a very influential man with high status, and the society he founded laid the foundation for the "ethnic pluralism of the future United States". However, his weaknesses led to the failure of his original dream of the Quaker society. His dedication to England led to a 15 year absense from the colonies. Because Penn was "often tempermental and vindictive", when he came back he was met by hostile colonists who felt abandoned.
The main difference between the founding of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts was that the Puritans in MA strived for religious conformity, and anyone who oppossed was rejected and even prosecuted. Penn, on the other hand, wanted people of all races and ethnicities to have liberty and coexist in Pennsylvania.
William Penn the farther of Pennsylvania. He was a very strong man who brought the quakers to america to practice there religion. But Pennsylvania wasnt just for quakers Penn wanted his colony to be one were any man could live and practice what they wanted. He was a high time roller with a heavy status that was well known in England. Some of his mistakes though were that he was not fully commeted to his colony. He was first and formost an englishmen. Second with a 15 year absence from his colony he lost power and trust of the people. The people of Pennsylvania felt abandoned.
The diffrence between the founding of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts is in Massachusetts the purtian wanted everyone to believe in waht they believe. Penn. let everybody believe in what they wanted to believe in.
William Penn's strengths include the fact that he was born to well-off and influential parents, with his father having been in the Royal Navy. This gave him "almost immediate access to the halls of power" in English politics. His vision was to create a colony that would be a "centerpiece of England's New World Empire. His view was for people of all religions and backgrounds were free to live together peacefully. He was also a man of "intense action" and "boundless intellectual curiosity." His weaknesses were that he could never fully commit to his colony. He was a very loyal Englishman and never thought to permanantly live in Pennsylvania. This neglect of his colony caused the people who lived there to "feel abandoned."
The major difference between Pennsylvania and Massachussetts was Penn's belief in freedom of religion. In Pennsylvania one was free to believe in God however they wanted, but in Massachussetts you had to follow the Puritan's strict guidelines for religion.
William Penn had many strengths over other leaders at this time. Penn was one of the first to support freedom of speech, press, and religion. He felt that people should be free to practice what religion they chose which is why he decided to take up the new religion as a Quaker. Many people regarded Penn as a strong influential leader in this new religion. He had a more loose view on how a society should operate which is just the opposite of puritans that were extremely strict in their society. The main mistake that Penn made during his lifetime however was choosing to return to England for 15 years and leaving the colonies behind. When he returned, he didn’t have near the power that he did before he left. Many people thought that Penn had a lasting affect on how are country evolved years to come.
William Penn's strong points were that he believed that every one should have the right to choose for themselves. Because he was one of the first to believe in freedom of speech, religion, and press. Probably his weakest things he did was that he did not stay in Pennsylavania the whole time and that he was not a strong family man. He was a main part of the Quakers, which the Quakers were the first to defy England in such magnitude. Because the Quakers were the first to believe in the abolishment of slavery. Massachusetts and Pennsylavania were very different because there were Puritans in Massachusetts and there were Quakers in Pennsylavania which they believed in completely the opposite things, for example the if you lived in Massachusetts it was there way or the highway. However in Pannsylavania you could believe in what ever you wanted to as long as you were nice.
William Penn’s strengths were that he founded Pennsylvania colony, he promoted freedom of speech, press, and religion, and he was the son of a warrior aristocrat. Penn’s weaknesses were that he got expelled from Oxford for being nonconformist, and he was imprisoned for writing Quaker tracts. With Penn being the one who started the Quaker religion, he needed to be there to guide the Quakers, but he wasn’t. He left to return to his beloved homeland of England from 1684 to 1699. This was one of his mistakes. The difference in the founding of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts was that PA was founded under religious freedoms, unlike MA which was strictly Puritan.
William Penn was a great man in the founding of America as we know it now. He founded the colony of Quakers in Pennsylvania. He was a pioneer in the view of freedom. He basically was the person who started the abolition view in America. He promoted many things that we hold dear today such as freedom of religion and press. The Quakers also were very firm believers in allowing women to be an integral part of society. These all were great strengths for him but his weaknesses were there too. He chose to head back to England and stay there for 15 years and leave his colony to fend for itself. It was from this that he never could kick the feeling of loyalty to England. In Pennsylvania, people believed in religous freedom while in Massachusetts they were strictly Puritan.
William Penn had many strenghts. He founded the Quaker colony in Pennsylvania. He also was the first man to express freedom of speech, religion, and press. He was a very smart and cleaver man. The only weakness I could see in him, is the fact that her got kick out of Oxford. Penn's mistakes were costly. Penn's first mistake was not being fully comitted to the colony. His second mistake was leaving the colony to go back to England. After Penn left, the colony began to suffer.
The difference between Pennsylavnia and Massachusettes is religion. Pennsylvania could belief in whatever they wanted and Massachusetts had to follow the puritan's rules.
William Penn's strengths were that he created Pennslyvania for a place for the Quakers to worship God. He promoted freedom of press and speech witch are a big part of America today. He also let people worship whatever religion they wanted to. William Penn's strengths helped shaped America into what it is today.
His big weakness is that he left Pennslyvania for 15 years to go back to England. Without Penn's leadership the colony began to suffer. The difference between the founding of Penslyvania is that people were given freedom of religion, while Massachusetts was strictly founded to be a Puritan community.
Penn as a leader of the Quakers, believed in freedom of speech, press, and religion as they traveled to Pennsylvania from England, unlike Massachusetts who believed in religious conformity. Penn wanted all religions and races to coexist in the same town. Penn was still very loyal to England and left tto go back overseas. But as Penn’s 15 year absence from the colonies caused many problems and he began to be disliked. When he returned he was met with colonists that were very angry.
William Penn was the founder of the Quakers in Pennsylvania. He was born into a good family. His father was a huge part of the Royal Navy. William Penn was a good, influential man who sought the freedom of religion, speech, and press for everyone. Some of Penn’s mistakes were that he went back to England for 15 years and just left his people to fend for themselves. The difference in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts is that PA was founded so that people could have religious freedom. Massachusetts was founded by the Puritans who wanted people to follow their ways.
Due to Penn's wealthy upbringing and high social status, he gradually became somewhat in charge of the Quakers. After the persistent persecution of Quakers in several different countries, Penn decided to establish a colony where the Quakers could carry out their religious ways without any disturbances. In addition, he also wanted this colony to flourish with not only Quakers, but also with the help other individuals of different cultures looking for sanctuary. Since the stuarts in England granted Penn with many favors, he remained loyal to his country. However, his fifteen year trip back to England created a downfall in the colonies. When he returned, the colonists were agitated because they felt abandoned. Lastly, the major difference between Massachusetts and Pennsylvania is the founders and the regulations of the colonies. Massachusetts was soley founded for Puritans who wanted to purify others. On the other hand, Pennsylvania was founded for anyone who wanted to practice their religious belief freely.
William Penn not only founded the Pennsylvania colony, but he was also a leader amongst the Quakers. He promoted freedom of speech, press, and religion in the colony, and spoke of peaceful coexistance among all religions and backgrounds. Eventually Penn traveled back to England due to his loyalty for the country, but this would prove to be a mistake because as soon he ventured off the colony suffered. Due to this journey home, the members of the colony felt deserted. The difference between Massachusetts and Pennsylvania was the religious freedom within each. Massachusetts was soley for Puritans, while Pennsylvania was for all.
The Story of William Penn was not shocking to me, and I say that because when I read that he was bon into a wealthy family i wasn't surprised. William had many strengths. To list off his strengths first he promoted press, speech, religion, and second he founded the Quakers colony of Pennsylvania. Another strength that Penn had was that he was the son of a warrior aristocat. William also had some weaknesses and one of those is, he was put away or writing Quaker tracts. Another weakness was that he was expelled or banished from Oxford for being a nonconformist. In my eyes I thought that Penn wasn't loyal to the Quaker because he left them and went back to his homeland, England.
There was a big difference in the founding Pennsylvania and Massachusetts because while Massachusetts was strictly Puritan, Pennsylvania was founded under religious freedom.
The Story of William Penn was not shocking to me, and I say that because when I read that he was bon into a wealthy family i wasn't surprised. William had many strengths. To list off his strengths first he promoted press, speech, religion, and second he founded the Quakers colony of Pennsylvania. Another strength that Penn had was that he was the son of a warrior aristocat. William also had some weaknesses and one of those is, he was put away or writing Quaker tracts. Another weakness was that he was expelled or banished from Oxford for being a nonconformist. In my eyes I thought that Penn wasn't loyal to the Quaker because he left them and went back to his homeland, England.
There was a big difference in the founding Pennsylvania and Massachusetts because while Massachusetts was strictly Puritan, Pennsylvania was founded under religious freedom
Penn had many strengths that helped him stand out as a prominent leader in early America. For one he was a natural born leader growing up with a much respected father. According to Moretta he was a man of intense action, of incredible tenacity, of boundless intellectual curiosity, imagination, and creativity. A weakness that he may have had was being too nice or courteous to those who treated him wrong or took advantage of him. What Penn did right was that he created a congregation of people from all walks of life and treated them all the same. What he did wrong was that once he had this assembly of people he left America and went back to England for fifteen years until returning back to his people. The difference between the founding of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts was that the people of Massachusetts considered themselves still part of England rather than a completely new colony.
William Penn had many strengths like his ability to get masses of people to get along most of the time. He tried to create a new population that promoted freedom of choice. The Quakers of Pennsylvania were one of the first places to promote abolition. I think that his main weakness was that he left his colony for a substantial amount of time. When he came back he some of the bonds he had made had faded. He also failed in almost every aspect of creating his ideal colony. For the most part his colony fell short of all of his aspirations. The main difference between the two colonies was the freedom to choose religion in the Quaker religion.
William Penn was a very influential man. Moretta claims that Penn had an enormous affect upon the "human dignity and human rights" of America. Some of Penn's strengths were that he was very tolerant of all types of people, he believed in the ethical and moral treatment of all people. Penn was a believer that his colonies could live in peace with themselves and the Indians, in essence he thought that natural law would hold his colonies together. Although as Moretta points out, Penn had a lot of negative qualities. Penn was not a good family man, as he preached as being important, he could be bitter and mean, often showing a thirst for revenge. Moretta describes many character flaws in Penn but believes his legacy should rely on more than just his personality.
Penn founded Pennsylvania in a way that all people were welcome. He allowed people of different religions and different ethnicity in his colony. In Massachusett there was underlying necessity of conformity to the Puritan's ways.
Quaker persecutions intensified during the Restoration; as a result, Quaker began immigrating to the New World, ultimately by the thousands to their "promised land", the "holy experiment" of Pennsylvania. They believe such objectives could be attained without having to take up permanent residence, which meant becoming a "colonial" a status completely unacceptable to hardcore, aristocratic English like Penn. But, Penn overly attended the Stuart court, so he got the help of powerful court; as a result, the Stuart court became extinct, Penn also lost the power. They thing that motivating Penn to accomplish he did was a desire above all else to promote and protect his faith and fellow saints and to bring about God's kingdom on earth, and it would be a historical mistake to assume that Penn's actions relative to his colony were separate from his activities in England. Pennsylvania believed that everyone can believe god equally, so it insisted religious freedom, but Massachusetts believe to follow principle for religious.
Penn was a man of his time. He believed very strongly in his work. He was a ethical man. He believed in all types of people. The Purtains has a whole trusted people and brought them into there inner circle wanting them to become part of their following but never pushing them to do so. Penn just exemplified these abilities. He wanted people to follow him as he was a leader and led people even today to think how they do of one another. Penn founded Pennsylvania in the way that everyone was welcome to be there. It was not like if you did not think the same as him you were wrong but he would just try to sway you towards him and usually he succeeded. Penn was a very influential person and he showed it in many ways I have described.
Penn’s strengths included things such as his loyalty, his religious and cultural tolerance, and his ability to control a large colony and keeping everything running smoothly. Penn actually stayed in England for the majority of the time at first instead of actually moving to America and his new colony. Similarly, Penn had religious and cultural tolerance which meant that different types of people moved into the Pennsylvania colony. There were people from England and other European countries and there were Quakers and Protestants. All sorts of people flocked to the new colony due to its freedom. Therefore, one thing that Penn did right was implement a democratic system through the use of his “Frame of Government” literature which was similar to a constitution for the Pennsylvania area. Since Penn made this constitution he was not only ahead of his time, but he wanted to make sure that things ran as smoothly as possible and people knew how to behave. One mistake that Penn made was attempting to make a profit through the use of the Pennsylvania colony. Since Penn attempted to make money he ended up dying penniless and in jail because of his debts.
~ Jennifer Claybrooks
william penn came from a rich family who had close ties with the king. william believed in freedom of speech and religion. he founded the quaker colony. but is weakness would be that he was to nice. i believed that what william did wrong was leaving his colony after it was created and going back to england.
Pennsylvania was an open colony to eeveryone not matter what.
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