Name: William Penn
Birth: October 14, 1644
Death: July 30, 1718
Nationality and Background: Born in London, England, William Penn was an important English Quaker who founded the Pennsylvania colony. While he visited his colony many times, he ended up dying in England.
Historical Significance of William Penn: William Penn founded Pennsylvania. Eventually, Delaware would break off from it. Penn believed in religious toleration and called Pennsylvania the 'holy experiment'. He created a written constitution for the colony that amazingly limited the power of government. It also called for freedom of the press and the right to own private property. In this way, Pennsylvania had many of the rights and liberties that would later be granted the citizens of the United States through its constitution.
