This book argues that despite widespread scholarly neglect, William Penn (1644–1718) was a sophisticated political thinker who contributed in important ways to the theory and practice of religious liberty in the early modern Atlantic world. Penn’s political thinking unfolded over nearly a half century and was shaped by four concrete political episodes: (1) the controversy over the Second Conventicle Act (1668–1670); (2) the Popish Plot and Exclusion Crisis (1678–1681); (3) the founding and settlement of Pennsylvania (1681–1684); (4) and the contentious reign of James II (1685–1688). The book c ... More

This book argues that despite widespread scholarly neglect, William Penn (1644–1718) was a sophisticated political thinker who contributed in important ways to the theory and practice of religious liberty in the early modern Atlantic world. Penn’s political thinking unfolded over nearly a half century and was shaped by four concrete political episodes: (1) the controversy over the Second Conventicle Act (1668–1670); (2) the Popish Plot and Exclusion Crisis (1678–1681); (3) the founding and settlement of Pennsylvania (1681–1684); (4) and the contentious reign of James II (1685–1688). The book contextualizes the development of Penn’s thought through analysis of his published writings, consideration of the mutual interconnections between Penn’s political theory and his colonizing venture in America, and reflection on Penn’s ongoing significance to the broader history of Anglo-American political thought. Penn remains a singular figure in the history of liberty of conscience for at least three reasons. First, his substantive political theorizing provides a window into the increasingly organized and philosophically sophisticated Restoration tolerationist movement and the development of late-seventeenth-century Quakerism. Second, not only did Penn articulate principles of religious liberty in England but he governed an American polity and experienced firsthand the complex relationship between political theory and political practice. Finally, an examination of Penn’s political thought as it emerged from the concrete details of political life points toward a new way of understanding the enterprise of political theory itself: what it is, where and how it is produced, and how it relates to political practice.