William Penn
Quotes of: William Penn
William Penn is one of the rare individuals in world history. Although he lived from 1644 to 1718, his thinking was far ahead of his time,
The continual strife in Europe disturbed him and he drew up a plan for a European federation which antedated the League of Nations by more than 225 years. He was concerned about education and some of his views are strikingly similar to those of outstanding educators today. He was a champion of minorities, whether they were American Indians, oppressed German Mennonites or persecuted English Quakers. He was a city planner, laying out Philadelphia with ample provisions for health, beauty, and recreation. He was a defender of democracy, whether he was upholding the right of trial by Jury in the famous Penn-Meade case, or defending the rights of the common man in the American colonies.
Above all he was a Christian statesman, carrying into the Holy Experiment in government in Pennsylvania (and to a lesser extent in New Jersey and Delaware) his basic beliefs as a Quaker.
He had his faults, such as misjudging those around him, and becoming involved in embarrassing financial situations. But he was a great man. "The greatest Englishman and the greatest European of his time" is the comment of one writer; "the greatest of the founders of the American colonies" is the estimate of another.