PRINTER'S NO. 2538
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
293
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY M. MACKENZIE, R. MACKENZIE, BANTA, D'ORSIE, DALEY,
GLEIM, GREINER, GUENST, JAMES, JOZWIAK, KAUFFMAN, KRUPA,
MARCELL, MENTZER, MOUL, PICKETT, SCHEUREN, STAATS, TWARDZIK
AND GILLEN, JANUARY 31, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JANUARY 31, 2024
A RESOLUTION
Designating October 14, 2024, as "William Penn Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, William Penn, the founder of this Commonwealth, was
born in London, England, on October 14, 1644; and
WHEREAS, The Province of Pennsylvania was acquired by William
Penn from King Charles II of England in payment of a debt the
king owed his father, Admiral Sir William Penn, for which
William Penn received a charter from King Charles II, dated
March 4, 1681; and
WHEREAS, William Penn had initially decided to name the land
"Sylvania," which in Latin means "woods," and to which King
Charles II added the prefix "Penn" to the name in honor of
William Penn's father; and
WHEREAS, William Penn invited people of diverse nationalities
and creeds to join with him in a "Holy Experiment"; and
WHEREAS, His own prayers were that Pennsylvania might become
"the seed of a nation"; and
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WHEREAS, Shortly after landing in Pennsylvania, William Penn
brokered the Treaty of Shackamaxon, commonly referred to as
Penn's Treaty; and
WHEREAS, Penn's Treaty was historic not just in its
occurrence, but in the mutual respect shown between Penn and
Native American tribes; and
WHEREAS, The famous French historian, philosopher and writer
Voltaire noted that Penn's Treaty was the only treaty with
Native Americans "never sworn to or broken"; and
WHEREAS, Many of the liberties and rights that we enjoy today
can be traced to William Penn's efforts; and
WHEREAS, William Penn had strong faith in a representative
form of government, public education without regard to race,
creed, gender or ability to pay and respect for the civil
liberties of all persons; and
WHEREAS, William Penn initiated the first call for a "united
states" in his 1697 "A Plan for Union for the English Colonies
in America"; and
WHEREAS, William Penn established the first constitutions,
including religious liberty and tolerance, self-government and
taxation only through representation, in modern history; and
WHEREAS, On October 28, 1701, William Penn's third revision
to Pennsylvania's Constitution was adopted, "Charter of
Privileges"; and
WHEREAS, The "Charter of Privileges" so firmly established
and grounded Pennsylvania as a keystone to the other colonies
that it evolved into the outline and later adoption of our
American liberties, the Constitution of the United States; and
WHEREAS, In 1751, the General Assembly commissioned a foundry
in England to forge a bell to properly commemorate and celebrate
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the 50th anniversary of William Penn's "Charter of Privileges";
and
WHEREAS, Today that bell, the Liberty Bell, is celebrated as
one of the United States' most famous symbols of American
independence; and
WHEREAS, Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United
States and writer of the Declaration of Independence, duly
recognized William Penn's indelible influence upon the United
States and stated that he was, without doubt, "the greatest
lawgiver the world has produced"; and
WHEREAS, Public Law 98-516, a joint resolution, which became
law on October 19, 1984, declared that William Penn and his
wife, Hannah Callowhill Penn, are honorary citizens of the
United States; and
WHEREAS, In the ceiling of the State Capitol's Rotunda, a
composite of three separate letters written in 1681 by William
Penn, remind us of how Pennsylvania became the "Birthplace of
Freedom" and the "Birthplace of America" when he stated that
"There may be room there for such a Holy Experiment. For the
nations want a precedent and my God will make it the seed of a
nation. That an example may be set up to the nations. That we
may do the thing that is truly wise and just"; and
WHEREAS, The State Museum contains a permanent exhibit
entitled "Memorial Hall" which is dedicated to the vision of
Pennsylvania's founder William Penn; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate October
14, 2024, as "William Penn Day" in Pennsylvania to honor the
life and legacy of William Penn; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives proudly proclaim
that William Penn is an inseparable and indispensable part of
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Pennsylvania's history.
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