by A Howell

Created on: April 20, 2008   Last Updated: December 05, 2008

Philadelphia is known as the "City of Brotherly Love". It is considered our nations birth place. Before the Europeans discovered the Delaware Valley it was home to the Lenape Indians.

The first settlements in the 1600's were the Swedish, Dutch, and English. Later in 1681 under run of King Charles II of England, granted William Penn the colony later known as Pennsylvania. King Charles the II granted Penn this land in repayment of a large loan he had taken out with his father, before he had passed away.

Part of William Penn's plan was to put his colony near the Delaware River to serve as a government. Despite the fact that King Charles II had given Penn the land, he bought it from the Lenape Indians and ensured peace with them. Penn was known to have paid 1200 pounds for their land under the treaty. At Penn Treaty Park there is a monument to where they have said the treaty took place.

By Penn, Philadelphia was conceived as "Greene Country Towne". His design for the city was in a rectangular grid with large lots, dividing the city into four quadrants.

William Penn was also a Quaker and persecuted because of his religion. He wanted his colony to be free to what ever religion they practiced. In this colony they had complete freedom in religion as long as it was under God.

William Penn decided to name the city Philadelphia, which is Greek for brotherly love (philos, "love" or "friendship", and adelphos, "brother"). This city also holds many other nicknames such as The City that Loves you Back", "Cradle of Liberty", "The Quaker City", "The Birthplace of America", "Philly"," Philadelphia maneto" - "Let brotherly love endure".

William Penn had a passion for freedom in the New World. He wanted slaves, women, people of various religions, and Indians to be all treated with the same respect. He showed that people of different religion and race can work together despite their differences. Without William Penn who knows if the "City of Brotherly Love" would be so full of proud history. Many followed in his foot steps trying to make everyone equal despite their gender or religion. Along with others, William Penn was the first to try and give us freedom to what we believe in.

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