- The Colonial history of Pennsylvania goes back to about 1636. That is when the first settlers arrived, but it did not become Pennsylvania until 1681 when the crown granted the land that was to become the second State to William Penn in order to satisfy a debt that the King owed to Penn's father. Colonial Pennsylvania was the birthplace of our nation, the home of Ben Franklin and Daniel Boone and the beginning of the frontier.
- Pennsylvania was very busy in Colonial times. It all started in 1636, when the Swedes established the first permanent settlement. Colonial Pennsylvania became a hub of commerce in 1647 when the first trading posts were established. The Swedes ruled Colonial Pennsylvania from 1638 to 1655. The Dutch took over in 1655, and in 1664 the territory passed into British hands, making it available as a grant for Penn. The British remained in control until the end of the Revolutionary War in 1781.
- Pennsylvania has a mixture of geographical features including mountains, farm land and rivers. Pennsylvania does not have a seacoast, but there are four major rivers that pass through the state and shipping was a big part of life in Colonial Pennsylvania. The Allegheny Mountains cut Pennsylvania in half, running from the southwest to the northeast. In Colonial times, they separated the frontier parts from the settled.
- Life for those on the farms, in the cities and on the frontier of Colonial Pennsylvania would have been very different. Philadelphia was the main city in Colonial Pennsylvania. Being situated on the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, Philadelphia was also the main port for the colony. It was the place where goods came in and went out, making it the perfect place for the beginning of industry. Children would have gone to school and had plenty of playmates. On the farms, life was harder, especially in the winter when the temperatures could go below 0 degrees. The farms were isolated and self sufficient. The children would, in most cases, be educated at home and work the farm as well. The biggest contact they would have with others would be at harvest time, when the crops went to market. Life on the western frontier would be even harder, with fur trappers and trading posts ruling the lifestyle.
- Colonial Pennsylvania had a big impact on the rest of the Colonies. It was where the delegates came to forge the Declaration of Independence and eventually became the second Capital of the new nation. It was the stepping off place to the frontier, and the pioneers took the Colonial Pennsylvania lifestyle with them across the continent. Colonial Pennsylvania gave us the first free public schools and the first public library, thanks to Ben Franklin. Much of Colonial Pennsylvania can still be seen today in the museums and in the descendants of those first settlers, who still work in the cities and farm the land.
