| − | '''Pennsylvania''' was the American colony founded by the [[Quaker]] [[William Penn]], who wanted a place where he and other Quakers could worship freely without persecution (being a Quaker was illegal in England at the time), and is now a US state. Its capital is [[Harrisburg]] and it borders Ohio, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and West Virginia. Its first Colonial Legislative Act, the Great Law of Pennsylvania, December 7, 1682, mandated: "That no person ... who shall confess and acknowledge one Almighty God | + | '''Pennsylvania''' was the American colony founded by the [[Quaker]] [[William Penn]], and is now a US state. Its capital is [[Harrisburg]] and it borders Ohio, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and West Virginia. Its first Colonial Legislative Act, the Great Law of Pennsylvania, December 7, 1682, mandated: "That no person ... who shall confess and acknowledge one Almighty God |
| | to be the Creator, Upholder and Ruler of the World ... shall in any case be molested or prejudiced for his, or her Conscientious persuasion or practice." | | to be the Creator, Upholder and Ruler of the World ... shall in any case be molested or prejudiced for his, or her Conscientious persuasion or practice." |
| | The [[Continental Congress]] met in Pennsylvania. The [[Declaration of Independence]] was signed there, the [[Liberty Bell]] is there, and the [[Continental Army]] spent the winter of 1777 at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. The [[American Constitution]] was written in [[Philadelphia]], and the United States Capitol was once there. Pennsylvania was the 2nd State to join [[United States of America|the Union]] on December 12, 1787. | | The [[Continental Congress]] met in Pennsylvania. The [[Declaration of Independence]] was signed there, the [[Liberty Bell]] is there, and the [[Continental Army]] spent the winter of 1777 at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. The [[American Constitution]] was written in [[Philadelphia]], and the United States Capitol was once there. Pennsylvania was the 2nd State to join [[United States of America|the Union]] on December 12, 1787. |
| | + | [[Benjamin Franklin]] helped write Pennsylvania's 1776 Constitution. In Frame of Government, Chapter 2, Section 10, it states: "Each member of the legislature, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration: 'I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the Universe, the Rewarder of the good and Punisher of the wicked, and I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration.'" |