William Penn was a prominent English Quaker who became deeply involved in religious matters from his youth. As he grew older, Penn became disillusioned with the Church of England. He wanted to create a safe haven for Quakers, who faced persecution due to their religious beliefs at the time.
When Charles II owed a large sum of money to Penn’s father, Admiral William Penn, the debt was paid back to William with land in America through a land grant. William set his sights towards colonization by drafting a Frame of Government and Conditions he desired in this New World colony called "a holy experiment". To Penn, this concept involved creating a religiously tolerant haven free from the persecution he saw Quakers and other Protestant sects encounter from the Church of England at the time.
