WebQuest
The Borders of Pennsylvania
Introduction
Pennsylvania, like most states, has borders that separates our state from other states. How did this happen and what is a state border anyway? Select this link to take a look at a short video describing borders, Pennsylvania and its neighboring states.
Almost every Pennsylvania student recognizes the current borders of their state, but most would never recognize its original borders. The borders of Pennsylvania changed many times and in many ways since William Penn founded Pennsylvania in 1681.
How did Pennsylvania get its final shape?
To understand this we need to go back to early 1600 when conflict for claims of title to the lands in the new world were ongoing. After many years of conflict between Sweden, Holland, and England for control of land in the new world, England became the controlling power and claimed ownership rights for the entire New York and Pennsylvania area.
The time was 1681 and King Charles the 2nd owed a debt to the Penn family. William Penn was in the middle of religious freedom efforts in England when in 1681 he saw an opportunity to create a new colony far from the religious persecution in his own land. William Penn requested and was granted 40,00 square miles by King Charles the 2nd of England as repayment of an $16,000 debt to the Penn family. Follow this link for a video overview of William Penn and the founding of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania had been founded but its borders and shape were far from the easily recognizable borders and shape we know today. Border definition conflicts went on for decades but the most significant dispute for border placement was the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland.
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