The Worlds of William Penn

Product Description William Penn was an instrumental and controversial figure in the early modern transatlantic world, known both as a leader in the movement for religious toleration in England and as a founder of two American colonies, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. As such, his career was marked by controversy and contention in both England and America. This volume looks at William Penn with fresh eyes, bringing together scholars from a range of disciplines to assess his multifaceted life and career. Contributors analyze the worlds that shaped Penn and the worlds that he shaped: Irish, English, American, Quaker, and imperial. The eighteen chapters in The Worlds of William Penn shed critical new light on Penn’s life and legacy, examining his early and often-overlooked time in Ireland; the literary, political, and theological legacies of his public career during the Restoration and after the 1688 Revolution; his role as proprietor of Pennsylvania; his religious leadership in the Quaker movement, and as a loyal lieutenant to George Fox, and his important role in the broader British imperial project. Coinciding with the 300th anniversary of Penn’s death the time is right for this examination of Penn’s importance both in his own time and to the ongoing campaign for political and religious liberty Review "This marvelous new examination of William Penn’s many worlds gives us this remarkable man anew." -- Michael Zuckerman ― University of Pennsylvania"Readers may find themselves drawn into Penn’s tempestuous trans-Atlantic world. Such readers may want to go on to read The Worlds of William Penn, a collection of 18 essays on Penn and his 'worlds' (American, English, Irish and Quaker). In one illuminating essay, historian Scott Sowerby notes how unlikely the alliance between the Quaker Penn and the Catholic James II was." ― Wall Street Journal"This collection offers much to consider in the history and historiography of William Penn...[A] must-have for anyone interested in William Penn and, even more so, in the state of Penn historiography. The inclusion of material history and the Native American perspective offer particular strength to the overall value of the book, which offers new interpretations from a variety of fresh angles. Scholars of Penn, Quakerism, Pennsylvania, religion, and the British Empire will be engaging with this collection and these scholars for years to come." ― H-Net"Like work completed over the last four decades and currently underway, this volume contributes important perspectives and research on the complicated history of William Penn and his worlds." ― Pennsylvania History About the Author ANDREW R. MURPHY is a professor of political science at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. He is the author of numerous titles, including William Penn: A Life.   JOHN SMOLENSKI is an associate professor of history at the University of California, Davis. He is the author of Friends and Strangers: The Making of a Creole Culture in Colonial Pennsylvania.