Frame of Government of Pennsylvania

William Penn, an English Quaker, sought to construct a new type of community with religious toleration and a great deal of political freedom.

It is believed that Penn's political philosophy is embodied in the West Jersey Concessions and Agreements of 1677, which is an earlier practical experience of government constitution prior to the establishment of Pennsylvania.

It required capital punishment to be applied to a strictly limited scope of criminal offenses only, including murder and treason.

The upper house, or the council, consisted of 72 members, including the first 50 purchasers[further explanation needed] of 5,000 acres or more in the colony and had the exclusive power to propose legislation.

However, it is believed that the earliest settlers, who heavily invested in Pennsylvania, demanded a voice in constructing the framework of government.

William Markham, a trusted deputy executive of Penn in the colony for many years, commented: "I knew very well [the Frame of Government] was forced upon him by friends who unless they received all that they demanded would not settle the country.

"[1] This partly explained Penn's deviation from his political ideas on government constitution to accommodate the demands of the settlers.

To attract colonists, Penn had at first reserved himself only a single vote in the council and no power to reject legislation passed by the assembly.

However, the Frame of 1682, in its final form, granted the proprietor a greater power – he was allowed a treble vote in the council and a veto in the legislative process.

[2] Once again, the assembly sought to enlarge its role and insisted that it be granted to power to initiate legislation, as it demanded when it rejected the Frame of 1682.

William Markham, the lieutenant governor commissioned by Penn in 1694, ruled the colony imperialistically and acted aggressively towards the assembly.

In March 1695, David Lloyd, the chief spokesman of the Quakers, warned that there was no special virtue in returning to the Frame of 1683, and proposed a charter granting the Assembly a controlling role, including the sole power to initiate legislation.

The council turned to support the shift of power from itself to the assembly in anticipation of a possible reestablishment of a royal government.

In response to the Quakers' request, William Markham, the lieutenant governor and a member of the Church of England, took it as an opportunity to urge the Quaker-dominated assembly to cooperate in appropriating fund for military preparations, and promised that a discussion of constitutional revision would become possible if the military appropriation bill was passed by the assembly.

Although having been committed to nonviolence and consciously objecting to participating in wars, Quakers compromised in this regard in exchange for a more powerful assembly.

In urban areas where the number of non-Quakers was growing, the voting requirement was tightened to exclude anyone without a £50 estate free of debts.

In addition, the Frame of 1701 required all claims relating to properties to be directed to ordinary courts of justice, and thus neutralized the power of the Board of Propriety, the center of proprietary land administration.

He admitted that he approved the Frame of 1701 only because he saw a majority had been convinced by David Lloyd that it was a form of government "nearer to English methods, which they called for so often."

His ruling over Pennsylvania was largely based on the royal charter, which curbed his political experiment and led to a hierarchical governmental structure.

Voltaire applauded Penn's efforts, saying he might "with reason, boast of having brought down upon earth the Golden Age, which in all probability, never had any real existence but in his dominions.