PART 1 – PRE – COLONIAL TO THE REVOLUTION
THE FIRST INHABITANTS
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The first inhabitants of Pensynlvania were several Native American
tribes including
 1. The Delawares (Leni – Lenape or “real men”)
 2. The Susquehanocks (lived along the Susquehanna River)
 3. The Shawnees (came from the west in 1690s)
 4. Iroquois Confederacy (Five Nations – Mohawks, Oneidas,
Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas)
 5. Other tribes (Eries, Mahicans, Nanticokes)
Right –
Susquehannock
Warrior
Left Delaware
Indian
EUROPEAN EXPLORATION
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Captain John Smith – travelled up the
Susquehanna River from Virginia in 1608
Henry Hudson sailed into Delaware Bay in 1609
Captain Samuel Argall sailed into the bay in 1610
and named it for Lord de la Warr (Delaware), then
governor of Virginia
Capt. John Smith
Henry Hudson
Lord de la Warr
FOUNDING OF PENNSYLVANIA
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William Penn born October 24, 1644
Religious convert to the Society of Friends (Quakers)
 Religion founded by George Fox in 1647
 Rejected ritual and oaths, opposed war, and believed in
simple speech and dress
Religion was unpopular among British subjects, but Penn’s
friendship with the Duke of York kept him the king’s court
William
Penn
George
Fox
Quaker meeting
THE CHARTER
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King Charles II owed Penn 16,000 pounds
Penn asked for the land between Lord Baltimore’s province
of Maryland and the Duke of York’s province of New York
King signed the charter of Pennsylvania on March 4, 1681
 King named colony in honor of William Penn’s father
 It included the territory that is the state of Delaware today
THE NEW COLONY
April 1681, Penn made his cousin, William Markham, deputy
governor of the new province
 Oct. 1682, Penn arrives on the ship Welcome
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Great Law - 1682
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Visits new capital city – Philadelphia
Created the original three counties
Summoned General Assembly to Chester
Fundamental basis of Pennsylvania law
Guaranteed liberty of conscience
Whereas the glory of Almighty God and the good of mankind is the reason
and the end of government, and, therefore government itself is a venerable
ordinance of God... [there shall be established] laws as shall best preserve
true Christian and civil liberty, in opposition to all unchristian, licentious, and
unjust practices, whereby God may have his due, and Caesar his due, and
the people their due, from tyranny and oppression."
By time Penn leaves in 1684, the foundations of the new
Quaker province were firmly established
POPULATION
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Indian tribes
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English
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Settled in central and western areas
African Americans
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Comprised one-third of population
Settled in interior counties (including Berks county)
Transformed area into rich farming country
Scotch-Irish
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English Quakers dominated new province
Lived in the southeastern counties
Germans
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William Penn made sure to buy land from Indians before settling it
About 4,000 slaves brought by 1730
Pennsylvania Gradual Abolition Act of 1780 first emancipation law in United States
Others
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French Huguenots, Jewish settlers, Dutch, Swedes and other groups settled in
Pennsylvania
Drawn to the provinces’ tolerance of others
EARLY GOVERNMENT
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In 1701, William Penn along with the Assembly agreed on a
Charter of Privileges which remained in effect until 1776
 Gave the Assembly full legislative powers
Ruled by Deputy Governors (called simply governors) who
represented the Penn family
Throughout the 18th century, the Penn heirs abandoned
Quakerism which brought them into conflict with the Quaker
dominated Assembly
John Penn – last
Penn governor
PENNSYLVANIA DURING THE
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR
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Pennsylvania supplied men and supplies to the British
Empire
French established forts in Erie, Waterford, Pittsburgh and
Franklin which threatened all the middle colonies
1755 – General Braddock’s colonial army slaughtered on the
Monongahela
1758 – General Forbes helps re-capture Pittsburgh
General
John
Forbes
ECONOMICS
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Agriculture
 PA ranked as a leader – surpluses exported
 Main crops – corn, wheat, rye, and flax
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Manufacture
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PA had abundance of natural resources
Sawmills and gristmills utilized water power
Iron and pig iron were manufactured
Printing and papermaking were leading industries
Conestoga wagon developed in Lancaster Co.
Commerce and Transportation
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Rivers important for transportation
Trade with Indians for furs
Philadelphia became an important colonial trade center
By 1776, PA’s imports and exports worth several millions of
dollars
SOCIETY AND CULTURE
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Arts and Learning
 Philadelphia known as “Athens of America”
 Freedom of expression permitted strong intellectual and educational
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opportunities
1740 – College of Philadelphia established (now called University of
Pennsylvania)
Public buildings in Philadelphia were marvel of colonies
Men of intellect – Benjamin Franklin, David Rittenhouse, Benjamin West
achieve international acclaim
Center of law and medicine; newspapers and magazines flourished
Pennsylvania claims the first hospital, library and insurance company in
U.S. history
Religion
 Quakers continue to influence southeastern part of the colony
 Pennsylvania Dutch (Germans) were Lutherans, Amish, Mennonites,
Brethren, and Moravians
 First Catholic congregation organized in PA in 1720 and first chapel
erected in 1733; PA had second largest population of Catholics in the
colonies
PENNSYLVANIA ON THE EVE OF
THE REVOLUTION
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By 1776…
 Pennsylvania was third largest colony
 Philadelphia largest city in the colonies
 Number of counties increased from 3 to 11
Philadelphia was a center of revolutionary spirit
 Groups of artisans and mechanics were loyal to Benjamin
Franklin and formed grassroots resistance organizations
 Center of resistance to Stamp Act and Intolerable Act