William Penn
“Justice is the insurance which we have our lives and property. Obedience is the premium which we pay for it.” –William Penn
William Penn was an English Quaker born on October 14th, 1644 in London, England. He was also the founder of the state of Pennsylvania. The founding of the state of Pennsylvania came as a part of his long journey in the search for religious freedom. To receive justice, he had to sacrifice his obedience. Because of his strongly held beliefs and refusal to back down, William Penn was expelled from the University of Oxford and imprisoned four times. Even so, he continued to champion for religious toleration. After his father died in 1670, he inherited his estate. This put him in a more prominent position where he became friends with King Charles II and the later King James II. This gave him more leverage to fight for religious tolerance. Later the religious progression tone changed and Penn took the opportunity to provide refuge and build a Christian Commonwealth in Pennsylvania. This venture was known as his “holy experiment”. Though there were many setbacks to follow, William Penn’s relentless pursuit of justice for religious freedom made him one of the many pioneers of his time in the formation of the American colonies and the establishment of religious freedom. He refused to be obedient even in the face of persecution in his lifelong battle for justice. He passed away July 30th, 1718 in Buckinghamshire, England. (Tolles)
We have come a long way since the struggles for religious freedom of the 1600’s, but we aren’t out of the woods yet. Today many people still use their religious beliefs to try to persecute and deny the rights of others. One such struggle is the fight for LGBT rights. Just last year the United States passed the law allowing LGBT couples to marry but the struggle for human rights throughout the world is far from over. In some places LGBT men and women are still imprisoned and even put to death, but they continue to fight for their human rights. Justice for the LGBT community would mean the same treatment as every other ordinary human, because that’s really all they are. No more laws passing preventing them from using certain restrooms, no laws threatening imprisonment or worse should they even come out as LGBT, no more crazy people using their religion as a reason they can’t perform their government job and sign a marriage license. However, as clearly indicated by William Penn’s examples, obedience won’t win the fight. The LGBT community and its supporters will continue to march, protest, and fight for human rights the world over until justice is achieved.
Works Cited
Tolles, Frederick B. "William Penn." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 20 Apr. 2016. <http://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Penn-English-Quaker-leader-and-colonist>.
