The Original Colony of Pennsylvania: The Province of Pennsylvania (1681)

The Province of Pennsylvania was the original English colony that became the state of Pennsylvania.

• Chartered: March 4, 1681, by King Charles II.
• Grantee: William Penn, Quaker leader, in settlement of a £16,000 debt owed to his father, Admiral Sir William Penn.
• Name: "Penn's Woods" (Latin: Sylvania) — honoring the admiral.
• Frame of Government: Penn established a liberal constitution (Frames of Government, 1682/1683) with religious freedom, elected assembly, and fair dealings with Native Americans (Lenape).
• Capital: Philadelphia (founded 1682).

The colony attracted diverse settlers (Quakers, Germans, Scots-Irish, Welsh) and became a breadbasket and intellectual center. It remained a proprietary colony until the American Revolution.