| Bio notes |
Founded by William Penn as a proprietary colony in 1682, Pennsylvania was intended to be a province based on the Quaker principles and humanitarian values expressed in Penn’s “frames of government” constitution. Early in its history the colony provided a haven of religious toleration and developed friendly relations with local Indians. It was run by a General Assembly, Deputy Governors, and up until the Revolution, the joint proprietors and governors of Penn’s family. Penn’s heirs eventually abandoned Quakerism and came into frequent conflict with the Quaker-majority Assembly, committing acts like the infamous Walking Purchase (1737) to gain territory at the expense of Lenape goodwill. Pennsylvania expanded further northwest after the successful conclusion of the Seven Years’ War. During the Revolution, it hosted the first and second Continental Congresses and was the site of several iconic battles. Governed by an executive council from 1777 until 1790, the year it ratified a new state constitution. Pennsylvanian delegates ratified US Constitution in 1787. Through the Treaties of Fort Stanwix, the Iroquois surrendered landclaims to northwestern and southwestern Pennsylvania to the state government. Its border with New York was finalized 1787, and after passing a general land act in 1792, unlocked the Alleghany Mountain area for land speculation. |