How Did The Native American Influence William Penn

It is well known among historians that William Penn sought a peaceful partnership with the Native Americans that were in Pennsylvania at the time. Dreaming of a “Holy Experiment,” Penn wished for a colony that promoted religious freedom with good relations among the settlers and Native Americans. This can be demonstrated with the various letters, deeds, and laws written by Penn, all respecting the Native American people. One can clearly see that he wanted diplomacy as a top priority for his colony.

One letter available is the Letter from William Penn to the Kings of the Indians in Pennsylvania. In the letter, Penn mentions how God has commanded that the people love one another. He recognizes the injustice that has been brought upon the Native

When Thomas Wright was murdered by Indians, the council had to debate how to address the murder of a colonist versus the diplomacy of the Native Americans. The action taken was official diplomacy, and the murder was used to examine Native American relations. This is where they came to the conclusion that relations needed strengthened, something the previous governor did not find a priority. This shows the influence William Penn had. Even without his control, the ideas that he had were able to extend politics and policy after his

One could conclude that Penn was genuinely concerned with the safety and well-being of the Native Americans. Instead of selfishly following the best interests of the colonists alone, Penn made sure that the Natives were equally treated. This respect extended out to how he did deals with them, as evident by the deed. Actually purchasing land from the Native Americans instead of forcibly taking it, and making sure that each deal was fair to them was a progressive move of egalitarianism. His Quaker beliefs also stretched to how he communicates with them. The letter to the King of the Indians demonstrates this by how Penn calls them his friends, and humbly admits to the wrong doing that the other white colonists have committed. In order to protect the Native Americans from any further wrong doing, Penn wrote the 18th chapter of the Great Law strictly for the safety of the Natives. However, this would mean nothing if Penn secretly did not mean what he preached. Therefore it is relieving to see that Penn wrote back to England, complimenting the hospitality and friendship of the Natives in order to attract more settlers. It seems that Penn was truly a man of good morals, and sought a mutually beneficial relationship with the Natives on all