What did william penn do

William Penn 14 October — 30 July was an English Quaker, entrepreneur, philosopher and founder of Philadelphia. Penn was an influential figure in the early American colonies, helping to promote ideas of democracy, religious tolerance and the idea of uniting the American colonies. He was born in Tower Hill, London in , but after a childhood episode of smallpox where he lost all his hair the family moved to a small country estate in Essex.

When William Penn was 15, the family fell out of favour with Cromwell and they moved to this estate in Ireland. Whilst living in Ireland, William Penn was moved by a speech by the Quaker, Thomas Loe, and this awakened an interest in the non-conformist religion. Later, he remarked how this interest was accompanied by mystical experiences.

The essence of the Quaker religion was to see no intermediary between man and God. As a result, Quakers would not swear an oath of allegiance to either king or Parliament. In the upheaval of the English civil war, this was radical dissent. After returning to England, Penn enrolled at Christ Church, Oxford University, where he became more involved in discussing dissenting religious ideas with like-minded academics.

When the Oxford theologian John Owen was fired and censured for his dissenting views, the young Penn stood by the dean and continued to associate with him. As a result of his stance, the university fined him, and, worried about the damage to the family reputation, his father removed him from Oxford and later sent him to Paris — hoping he would modify his radical views.

William penn education

But in Paris, he gained further spiritual ideas from Moise Amyraut, a Christian humanist, who Penn liked. On returning to London, Penn studied law, but London was soon ravaged by the plague and then the Great Fire of London, because of the plague Penn temporarily returned to Ireland. His experiences helped cultivate a deeper conviction in his Quaker views and he became friendly with George Fox and other prominent Quakers.