Who Was William Penn?

And Other Questions about the Founding of Pennsylvania

From the Series Six Questions of American History

  • Interest Level: Grade 4 - Grade 6
  • Reading Level: Grade 5

William Penn was only twenty-two years old the first time he went to prison. He had attended a meeting of the Quakers, people who practiced a religion forbidden in Britain during the 1600s. Despite the dangers, Penn became a Quaker leader, and he dreamed of a place where people could freely practice religion. Britain’s king later gave Penn one of the British colonies in North America. In Pennsylvannia, Penn organized a new kind of government—a place where people had individual rights, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and trial by jury.

So why was the Quaker religion forbidden?
How did William Penn get so much land from the king?
What was Penn’s “holy experiment”?

Discover the facts about the beginnings of Pennsylvania and learn about its importance to what later became the U.S. government.

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978-0-7613-8827-2
$34.99
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Interest Level Grade 4 - Grade 6
Reading Level Grade 5
Genre Social Studies
Copyright 2012
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Lerner Publications ™
Language English
Number of Pages 48
Publication Date 2012-01-01
Reading Counts! Level 5.4
Text Type Informational/Explanatory
BISACS JNF025190, JNF053200
Dewey 974.8'02092
Graphics Full-color illustrations
Dimensions 7 x 9
Lexile 830
Guided Reading Level T
ATOS Reading Level 5.8
Accelerated Reader® Quiz 149018
Accelerated Reader® Points 1.0
Features Bibliography/further reading, Index, Sidebars, Source notes, Table of contents, Teaching Guides, Timeline, Websites, and eSource

Author: Marty Rhodes Figley

Marty Rhodes Figley is the author of sixteen books, mostly about her favorite subject—remarkable people from our country's past. She earned her B.A. in American Studies from Mount Holyoke College. Marty, whose two children are grown, lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, Paul, and their Airedale terrier, Scarlett.

Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!

Six Questions of American History

Explore pivotal moments in US history, from colonial times to the Civil War. Discover the who, what, where, when, why, and how of important events such as the Pilgrims settling at Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. Writing exercises at the View available downloads →