In 1638, the Colony of New Sweden was established by the settlement of Fort Christina at present-day Wilmington, Delaware. Five years later, Fort New Gothenburg was built on Tinicum Island which is the present-day site of the Philadelphia International Airport. It became the first permanent European settlement in what would become Pennsylvania. In 1681, King Charles II granted a charter to William Penn for the establishment of a new colony between Maryland and New York. The King named the new colony Pennsylvania in honor of Penn’s father, Admiral William Penn. The first settlers arrived in December 1681, and Penn arrived in October 1682.
Essential Facts
- Year Founded — 1681
- Founded By — William Penn
- General Assembly Established — 1682
- Region — Middle Colonies
- Part of — Restoration Colonies
Primary Documents
Biographies
- John Armstrong, Jr.
- George Bryan
- John Cadwalader
- George Clymer
- John Dickinson
- Benjamin Franklin
- William Irvine
- Thomas McKean
- Thomas Mifflin
- Robert Morris
- John Morton
- Thomas Paine
- George Ross
- Benjamin Rush
- James Smith
- Arthur St. Clair
- George Taylor
- William Thompson
- Anthony Wayne
History
Colonial America
Key Concepts
- Agriculture in Colonial America
- Board of Trade
- Mercantilism
- Navigation Acts
- Salutary Neglect
- Transatlantic Slave Trade
- Triangular Trade
- Taxation Without Representation — Overview and History
American Revolution
- Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)
- Paxton Boys and the Conestoga Massacre (1763)
- Proclamation of 1763
- Sugar Act (1764) — Guide
- Stamp Act (1765) — Guide
- Sons of Liberty
- Townshend Acts (1767—1768)
- Committees of Correspondence
- Tea Act (1773)
- Intolerable Acts (1774)
- Pennsylvania — Delegates to the First Continental Congress (1774)
- First Continental Congress (1774)
- Continental Association (1774)
American Revolutionary War
1775
1776
1777
1778
- Battle of the Kegs (January 6, 1778)
- Battle of Monmouth (June 28, 1778)
- Battle of Wyoming and the Wyoming Valley Massacre (July 3, 1778)
