3. Authorities & decisions: Pennsylvania and the Quaker experiment

Decision-makers, laws and consequences

William Penn received Pennsylvania’s charter from Charles II in 1681. Penn’s Frame of Government and later Charter of Privileges of 1701 structured representative institutions and religious liberty for many Christians.

Penn negotiated treaties with Lenape leaders, but settlement and land purchases later produced displacement and disputes, including the notorious 1737 Walking Purchase conducted after his death.

Institutional consequences

The authorities identified above acted within institutions that determined who could govern, enforce decisions and challenge official power. The resulting changes to political participation, legal status, military control or property administration are part of the historical record of this specific event, rather than evidence that every later government followed the same path.