The Frame of Government

American Minute from William J. Federer

He was the son of the British Navy Admiral who captured Jamaica in 1655 and established England as a global sea power during the First Dutch Wars. He disappointed his father by being expelled from Oxford for having religious meetings in his dorm room rather than going to the Anglican chapel. At age 24, he converted to the Society of Friends, or Quakers, and wrote the "The Sandy Foundation Shaken," for which he was imprisoned in the Tower of London for 8 months. His name was William Penn, born OCTOBER 14, 1644.

While in prison, William Penn wrote his classic book, No Cross, No Crown, stating: "Christ's cross is Christ's way to Christ's crown...The unmortified Christian and the heathen are of the same religion, and the deity they truly worship is the god of this world."

William Penn continued: "It is a false notion that they may be children of God while in a state of disobedience to his holy commandments, and disciples of Jesus though they revolt from his cross."

After Penn's father died, King Charles II repaid a debt owed to him by giving young William Penn a land grant in America, named Pennsylvania.

Penn's "Frame of Government" for his Colony became a model not only for most State governments, but also for the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

William J. Federer is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and president of Amerisearch, Inc, which is dedicated to researching our American heritage. The American Minute radio feature looks back at events in American history on the dates they occurred, is broadcast daily across the country and read by thousand on the internet.