William Penn: The Forgotten Founding Father
Long before our country was born, William Penn was already experimenting with the ideas that would define it.
He founded Pennsylvania envisioning a society built around individual liberty, religious freedom, representative government, and peaceful coexistence. With the insights of close friends John Locke and Algernon Sidney, Penn developed founding documents that gave Pennsylvania an unusually forward-looking framework for self-government.
Our founder’s vision extended beyond laws and constitutions. Penn’s Peace Treaty with the local Lenape tribe helped foster an exceptional period of peace and prosperity in early Pennsylvania. Voltaire described the Treaty with a memorable phrase: “Never sworn to — never broken.”
Eventually, the essential principles of Penn’s experiment — liberty, tolerance, and limit on government power — even helped influence and shape our United States Constitution.
Join Us in September to Learn More!
Inspired by Isaiah 11:6, Peaceable Kingdom (artist Edward Hicks, c. 1820) depicts William Penn on the far shore greeting Native Americans. This scene likely occurred in what is now Kensington, near the Delaware River.
In September, the Schuylkill River Heritage Center speaker series will host speaker Perry Hamilton for a presentation on William Penn: The Forgotten Founding Father. Perry’s talk focuses on William Penn’s extraordinary leadership as he developed his Holy Experiment, forged treaties with the Lenape, and crafted the documents that served Pennsylvania
When:
Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Where:
Schuylkill River Heritage Center (SRHC)
Foundry Building
2 N. Main Street Phoenixville
The presentation is free to SRHC members, $5 for non-members.
Download a printable flier for this event.