Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Happy Birthday to the First Pennsylvanian .....

William Penn - champion of democracy and religious freedom, scholar and theoretician, and one of colonial America's foremost community organizers - was born on this day in 1644.

Penn's legacy is felt to this day, in many different ways, from the sublime (how his Pennsylvania Frame of Government laid the foundation for the United States Constitution) to the ridiculous (how the "Curse of Bill Penn" haunts professional sports in Philadelphia). And no, say the people at Quaker Oats, the guy on their oatmeal box is not William Penn.

Here is Wikipedia's write-up on Penn's life and times, which includes several good links to writings about Penn, and writings BY Penn.

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