Religious Freedom in Pennsylvania
Huguenots, German Pietists and Mennonites
Pennsylvania becomes a religious haven for Huguenots, German Pietists and Mennonites as well as Quakers. Germantown is established.
William Penn was not only wise in keeping friendly relations with the local Native Americans but also in keeping the peace amongst newcomers and the Swedes and the Dutch who, from pre-Pennsylvania time, had claimed land there. He allowed them to keep the land they had already claimed even though they had staked out many choice riverfront lots.
Religious Freedom Not Just For Quakers
Although William Penn's original aim in settling Pennsylvania was to give Quakers a haven for practicing their religion unmolested, freedom of religion extended to other religions as well. It was a policy that greatly assisted Penn's agents in France and Rhineland who were attempting to lure Huguenots and German Pietists to Pennsylvania.
In 1683 Francis Daniel Pastorius purchased fifteen thousand acres of Pennsylvania land. On this land he build Germantown for his company of Rhenish Quakers and Mennonites.
The Good Earth, Water, Forest, and Furs
Although freedom of religion was like a mighty magnet drawing various sects to Pennsylvania, it was not the soul reason for migration. Welshmen, who left their place-names all over the place, came in droves. They were not outdone, however, by migrating Scots-Irish, Swedes, and Dutch. The draw for these people was rich soil, cheap land, seemingly unending forests, a fine harbor, and the fur trade.
Colonial America Series continues with:
Previous: Colonial Philadelphia .
Recommended Reading:
They Also Discovered America .
Sources:
Heinecke, Rhoda L. Pennsylvania: Know Your America Program. Nelson Doubleday, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1966.
McDougall, Walter A. Freedom Just Around the Corner: A New American History, 1585-1828. Harper Collins, New York, NY., 2004.
