William Penn (Profiles in American History)

William Penn’s "Holy Experiment" was a dedicated man’s sincere effort to create a land where people of all faiths could live peacefully together. He founded Pennsylvania primarily as a safe haven for Quakers who were persecuted in Britain and other European countries. But he welcomed anyone, Quaker or not, who wanted to work hard to make a new life for his or her family. William’s childhood was a happy one lived mostly in the country with his parents and brother and sister. He was a young adult when he first showed interest in the Quaker faith, and that interest never faded. His parents tried to persuade him to live the life that they mapped out for him as a government worker or some sort of royal official. Instead he founded Pennsylvania and formed his own government. It was as close as any colony would come to being a democracy.