History of Pennsylvania

The History of Pennsylvania is as varied as any in the American experience and reflects the  vision of the.

Pre-colonial period
Before was settled by Europeans, the area was home to the  (also known as Lenni Lenape),, , ,  and other  tribes.

The Dutch and Swedes
The Delaware River watershed was claimed by the based on the explorations of  in,  and others, and was named for , the Governor of  from  until. At that time the area was considered to be part of the colony. However, the Dutch thought they also had a claim, based on the explorations of, and under the auspices of the  were the first Europeans to actually occupy the land. They established trading posts in at Burlington Island, opposite Bristol, Pennsylvania, and then in  at Fort Nassau, now,. was the Dutch Director-General during this period and probably spent some time at the Burlington Island post, thereby familiarizing himself with the region.

In any case, had a falling out with the directors of the, was recalled from the , and promptly made his services available to his many friends in , then a major power in European politics. They established a and, following much negotiation, he led a group under the flag of  to the  in. They established a trading post at, now in ,. claimed possession of the western side of the, saying he had found no European settlement there. Unlike the, the Swedes intended to actually bring settlers to their outpost and begin a colony.

drowned in a hurricane on the way home that same year, but the Swedish colony continued to grow gradually. By Swedish and Finnish settlers were living along the western side of  from Fort Christina to the. 's best known governor,, moved his residence to what is now Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania, nearer center of the settlements.

The Dutch never gave up their claim to the area, however, and once they had some vigorous military leadership under, they attacked the Swedish communities and in reincorporated the area back into the  colony. It was not long, though, before the Dutch as well were forcibly removed by the, asserting their earlier claim. In, James, the Duke of York, and brother of King Charles II, outfitted an expedition that easily ousted the Dutch from both the Delaware and Hudson Rivers and leaving the Duke of York the proprietary authority in the whole area.

The British colonial period


On, , granted a land tract to  for the area that now includes Pennsylvania. Penn then founded a there as a place of religious freedom for s, and named it for the  sylvania meaning "Penn's woods".

A large tract of land north and west of Philadelphia, in Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware Counties, was settled by s and called the "". Even today many cities and towns in that area bear the names of Welsh municipalities.

The western portions of Pennsylvania were among disputed territory between the colonial and  during the. The French established numerous fortifications in the area, including the pivotal on top of which the city of  was built.

The colony's reputation of religious freedom also attracted significant populations of and  settlers who helped to shape colonial Pennsylvania and later went on to populate the neighboring states further west.

In order to give his new province access to the ocean, Penn had leased the proprietary rights of the King's brother, James, Duke of York to what became known as the "three lower counties" on the. The Province of was never merged with the  because the Duke of York, and therefore Penn, never had a clear title to it. He did govern them both, however, and his deputy governors were assigned to both as well. In Penn's , he tried to establish a combined assembly by providing for equal membership from each county and requiring legislation to have the assent of both the and the  of Chester, Philadelphia and Bucks. The meeting place also alternated between and. Once Philadelphia began to grow its leaders resented having to go to and gain agreement of the assemblymen from the sparsely populated  and so there was a mutual agreement in  for the two assemblies to meet separately from thenceforth.

The Revolution
Most of Pennsylvania's residents generally supported the protests and dismay common to all after the  and the. Pennsylvanians originally supported the idea of common action, and sent delegates to the in 1765. When difficulties continued, they sent delegates to the first and its later meetings, and even hosted the Congress in.

Constitution of 1776
In late June a convention of delegates met in Philadelphia. They had been selected by the ', the ', and other revolutionary groups around the state. By June, the old Assembly altered their delegate instructions in an effort to remain effective. On they selected delegates to meet as a Constitutional Convention. A Committee was formed with as chair and  and  as prominent members. By  the Convention produced a constitution.

The Constitution called for a unicameral legislature or Assembly. Executive authority rested in a Supreme Executive Council whose members were to be appointed by the assembly. This constitution was never formally adopted. In elections during 1776 radicals gained control of the Assembly. By early, they selected an executive council, and was named as the President of the Council. This ad-hoc government continued through the revolution, and would not be replaced until the Constitution of.

The revolutionary war
See:, , .me

Antebellum and Civil War
Pennsylvania was the target of several raids by the, including cavalry raids in 1862 and 1863 by , in 1863 by , and in 1864 by in which his troopers burned the city of.

Pennsylvania also saw the, near. Many historians consider this battle the major turning point of the. Dead from this battle rest at, site of 's.

A number of smaller engagements were also fought in Pennsylvania, including the, , , and the , all during the.

Industrial Power, 1865-1900
In the latter half of the 19th century, the U.S. oil (kerosene) industry was born in western Pennsylvania, which supplied the vast majority of U.S. kerosene for years thereafter, and saw the rise and fall of oil boom towns.

Ethnicity and Labor 1865-1945
During this time, America saw the arrival of millions of immigrants, mainly Europeans. Pennsylvania and New York received the bulk of them. Many of these poor immigrants took jobs in factories, steel mills, and coal mines throughout the state.

Depression and War 1929-1950


During the Depression, the Commonwealth attempted to fund public works through passage of the Pennsylvania State Authority Act in 1936. The Act caused the incorporation of the General State Authority, which would purchase land from the state and add improvements to that land using state loans and grants. The state expected to receive Federal grants and loans to fund the project. The, in Kelly v Earle, found the Act violated the state constitution.

Decline of manufacturing and mining: 1950-75
During the 20th century Pennsylvania's existing iron industries expanded into a major center of steel production. Shipbuilding and numerous other forms of manufacturing flourished in the eastern part of the state, and coal mining was also extremely important in many regions. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Pennsylvania received a very large numbers of immigrants from Europe seeking work; dramatic, sometimes violent confrontations took place between organized labor and the state's industrial concerns. The state was hard-hit by the decline of the steel industry and other heavy U.S. industries during the late 20th century.

In 1962, the Republican party which had lost the two previous gubernatorial elections and seen the state's electoral votes go Democratic in the, became convinced that a moderate like would have enough bipartisan appeal to revitalize the party. He ran for Governor of Pennsylvania against, the. The ticket was balanced by having, who would succeed him as governor, as his. After one of the most acrimonious campaigns in state history, the Scranton/Shafer team won a landslide victory in the election besting their opponents by nearly half a million votes out of just over than 6.6 million cast.

As governor 1963-67, Scranton signed into law sweeping reforms in the state's education system including creation of the state community college system, the state board of education, and the state Higher Education Assistance Agency. Furthermore, he created a program designed to promote the state in national and international markets and to increase the attractiveness of the state's products and services.

The Service State: 1975-Present
Pennsylvania has suffered severely from the fall of steel and coal. Economic failure, severe population loss in many areas, closed-up factories, and much more. However, beginning in the late 1970s, Pennsylvania began to turn around and make a recovery. At every new census, the state grew faster than the previous ten years. Many new immigrants, especially from Asia and Latin America, have arrived for many reasons. Dirty, lifeless towns have become vibrant, growing places. Jobs and companies have begun transferring their headquarters to the state, and Pennsylvania has one of the best economies in the nation. With the turnaround from manufacturing, the state has turned to service industries. Healthcare, retail, transportation, and tourism are some of the state's biggest industries of this era.

Politics
was the governor, 1987-1995--Casey was an Democrat "pol" of the old school, the son and grandson of coal miners, who championed unions and believed in government as a beneficent force. Casey pushed through the legislature the "Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act," which placed limitations on abortion, including the notification of parents of minors, a twenty-four-hour waiting period, and a ban on partial-birth procedures except in cases of risk to the mother's life. Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania sued, with Casey as the named defendant, asserting that the law violated. The case went to the Supreme Court in April, 1992. The Court decided The Court decided on June 29th, upholding all of Pennsylvania's contested restrictions but one (a requirement for spousal notification) and affirming the right of states to restrict abortions. At the national level Governor Casey was the most prominent pro-life Democrat and he demanded publicly to give a minority plank on abortion at the. He was refused, and protested loudly. In 1994, Casey refused to endorse, the Democrat he had appointed to the Senate and who was running for re-election. The reason was Casey rejected Wofford's views. The result was a deep split in the state Democratic party that helped elect arch-conservative Republican in 1994. Casey’s critics within the Democratic Party accused him of treason. The Democratic divisiveness over abortion did not fade away seat so in 2006, five years after Casey's death, national Democratic leaders promoted Casey's son for Senator as a way of defusing the issue and attracting disaffected pro-life Democrats; the son defeated Santorum by a landslide.

Surveys

 * Miller, Randall M. and William A. Pencak, eds. Pennsylvania: A History of the Commonwealth (2002) detailed scholarly history


 * Beers, Paul B.  Pennsylvania Politics Today and Yesterday (1980)*
 * Klein, Philip S and Ari Hoogenboom. A History of Pennsylvania (1973).
 * Weigley, Russell. Philadelphia: A 300-Year History (1982)

Pre 1900

 * Buck, Solon J., Clarence McWilliams and Elizabeth Hawthorn Buck. The Planting of Civilization in Western Pennsylvania (1939), social history  online edition
 * Dunaway, Wayland F. The Scotch-Irish of Colonial Pennsylvania (1944) online edition
 * Higginbotham, Sanford W. The Keystone in the Democratic Arch: Pennsylvania Politics, 1800-1816 (1952)
 * Illick Joseph E. Colonial Pennsylvania: A History (1976) onlineedition
 * Ireland, Owen S. Religion, Ethnicity, and Politics: Ratifying the Constitution in Pennsylvania (1995)
 * Kehl, James A. Boss Rule in the Gilded Age: Matt Quay of Pennsylvania (1981) onlineedition
 * Klees, Fredric. The Pennsylvania Dutch (1950)
 * Klein, Philip Shriver. Pennsylvania Politics, 1817-1832: A Game without Rules (1940)
 * McCullough, David. The Johnstown Flood (1987)
 * Mueller, Henry R. The Whig Party in Pennsylvania (1922)
 * Snyder, Charles Mccool. The Jacksonian Heritage: Pennsylvania Politics, 1833-1848 (1958) online edition
 * William A. Sullivan; The Industrial Worker in Pennsylvania, 1800-1840 Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1955 online edition
 * Tinkcom, Harry Marlin. The Republicans and Federalists in Pennsylvania, 1790-1801: A Study in National Stimulus and Local Response (1950) online edition
 * Williamson, Harold F. and Arnold R. Daum. The American Petroleum Industry: The Age of Illumination, 1859-1899 (1959)
 * Wood, Ralph. et al. The Pennsylvania Germans (1942) online edition
 * Karin Wulf; Not All Wives: Women of Colonial Philadelphia. Cornell University Press, 2000 online edition

Since 1900

 * John Bodnar; Immigration and Industrialization: Ethnicity in an American Mill Town, 1870-1940, (1977), on Steelton online edition
 * Thomas Dublin and Walter Licht, The Face of Decline: The Pennsylvania Anthracite Region in the Twentieth Century Cornell University Press, (2005). ISBN 0-8014-8473-1.
 * Kenneth J. Heineman; A Catholic New Deal: Religion and Reform in Depression Pittsburgh, 1999 online edition
 * M. Nelson McGeary, Gifford Pinchot: Forester-Politician (1960) Republican governor 1923–1927 and 1931–1935
 * Warren, Kenneth. Big Steel: The First Century of the United States Steel Corporation, 1901-2001 (2002)