Oftentimes one will hear of the discord between Colonists and Native Americans; however, William Penn is known for his peaceful attitude towards all. His religious tolerance is famed. As a Quaker, he often faced intolerance from Puritans – the irony is that Puritans left England for being persecuted.
On this day June 23rd, in 1683, William Penn signs a peace treaty with the Delaware Chief Tamenend, of the Lenni Lenape Tribe in Shackamoxon, Pennsylvania. William Penn bought two plots of land, which had already been chartered and given by Charles II. The agreement was that the two peoples would share the land. He named it New Wales, but Charles instead chose to name it Pennsylvania in honor of William’s father
Penn had planned on making this land a profitable enterprise, but he also stated that he would never exploit immigrants or natives. Penn is well known for being a pacifist, meaning that he abstained from all forms of violence. He is one of the few to do so, and for this reason that there was peace. Penn wrote to all of the colonies urging them to form a union long before the revolutionary war, as he died in 1718. Pennsylvania has gone on to become one of the most populated states with over 12 million; as well the site of the original U.S. capital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.