Quaker William Penn founded the state of Pennsylvania (from Penn and Transylvania). Born into an influential Anglican family, at the age of 25 Penn joined the Quaker religious congregation, which was viewed with great suspicion by the English authorities for certain ideas considered heretical (such as refusing to swear allegiance to the king, or pacifism). The hostility and persecution to which the Quakers were subjected convinced Penn to seek to found a colony in America. In 1677, a group of Quakers obtained permission to emigrate to western New Jersey, but Penn remained in England, where in 1681, thanks to his father’s influence, King Charles II granted him a charter to colonize a much larger area west and south of New Jersey, which from then on was known as Pennsylvania. Within that territory, the charter gave Penn absolute authority, second only to that of the king. Following the model of religious tolerance of Transylvania, which remained a mythical model for him, he established a democratic government characterized by the separation of powers and religious freedom granted to all its inhabitants, which encouraged immigration from other European countries, especially Germany. Penn remained in England for most of his life, visiting Pennsylvania twice. During the first visit (1682-1684), he founded the city of Philadelphia and explored the interior of the country, where he established friendly relations with the Indian populations. He died in England in 1718. His family remained formally the owners of Pennsylvania until the American Revolution.
