King Charles II owed William Penn £16,000, money which Admiral Penn had lent him. Penn asked the King to grant him land in the territory between Lord Baltimore's province of Maryland and the Duke of York's province of New York. With the Duke's support, Penn's petition was granted. The King signed the Charter of Pennsylvania on March 4, 1681, and it was officially proclaimed on April 2. The King named the new colony in honor of William Penn's father; here the history of the successful and tolerant colony begins. Pennsylvania played a very important role in development of what we know as United States of America now. …
