William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All

By: Janet Benge, Geoff Benge

Narrated by: Tim Gregory

"You fool of a boy!" William's father screamed. "You had the world ahead of you, and you threw it away for some religious meeting. Why, Parliament has ordered the heads of a dozen Puritans to be stuck on poles around the city as a warning against disobeying the law. Have you thought of that? Have you thought of anything?"

With the favor William's father enjoyed in Britain's royal court, all William had to do was show himself to be a faithful royalist, and wealth and privilege would be his. Instead he chose to follow his conscience—to expulsion from university, disinheritance, imprisonment, and the threat of death.

In a world where freedoms were subject to the whims of rulers, William Penn worked passionately for religious tolerance. When this Quaker reformer secured a land grant in America, he laid for Pennsylvania a foundation of liberty, justice, fairness, and tolerance that would later guide the drafting of the Constitution of the United States.

The stories of Heroes of History are told in an engaging narrative format, where related history, geography, government, and science topics come to life and make a lasting impression. This is a premier biography line for the entire family.

©2012 Janet Benge and Geoff Benge (P)2023 YWAM Publishing

An example of Integrity

This series is great. Great for all ages from late elementary to adult. Informative, teaches a great deal of history without too much detail and gives us a glimpse into life in the past. Great overview of the personal life and the accomplishments and trials of William Penn. Made me proud of the history of my state of Pennsylvania. Given that the Dep of Interior recently tried to “cancel” William Penn from Wellcome Park, his old homestead, this was a timely listen to learn about this great man.

Fascinating!

This is not only a great biography of William Penn, but also an amazing historical account of the foundation of Pennsylvania. As usual, Tim Gregory’s narration is superb!

Juror Rights

It was a surprise to learn about the beginnings of juror rights in this book. I can't help but wonder what great injustices, individuals armed with conviction, and their families have suffered so that others might be free.