Pennsylvania

==History==
{{Main|History of Pennsylvania}}
{{See also|List of Pennsylvania firsts|List of people from Pennsylvania}}

===Indigenous settlement===
Pennsylvania's history of human habitation extends to thousands of years before the foundation of the colonial [[Province of Pennsylvania]] in 1681. [[Archaeology|Archaeologists]] believe the first [[Peopling of the Americas|settlement of the Americas]] occurred at least 15,000 years ago during the [[Last Glacial Period|last glacial period]], though it is unclear when humans first entered the area now known as Pennsylvania. There also is uncertainty regarding the date when ancestors of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] crossed the two continents, arriving in [[North America]]; possibilities range between 30,000 and 10,500 years ago.<ref name="PHMC Paleoindian2">{{cite web |title=Paleoindian Period – 16,000 to 10,000 years ago |url=http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/native_american_archaeology/3316/paleoindian_period/405749 |access-date=December 8, 2014 |publisher=Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission}}</ref> [[Meadowcroft Rockshelter]] in [[Jefferson Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania|Jefferson Township]] includes the earliest known signs of human activity in Pennsylvania and perhaps all of North America,<ref name="Meadow2">[http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/08/11/ancient-pa-dwelling-still-dividing-archaeologists/ Ancient Pa. Dwelling Still Dividing Archaeologists]</ref> including the remains of a civilization that existed over 10,000 years ago and possibly pre-dated the [[Clovis culture]].<ref name="PHMC12">{{cite web |title=Pennsylvania on the Eve of Colonization |url=http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/overview_of_pennsylvania_history/4281/pre-1681__the_eve_of_colonization/478723 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001405/http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/overview_of_pennsylvania_history/4281/pre-1681__the_eve_of_colonization/478723 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=November 30, 2014 |publisher=Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission}}</ref><ref name="Meadow2" /> By 1000 CE, in contrast to their nomadic [[hunter-gatherer]] [[Paleo-Indians|ancestors]], the native population of Pennsylvania had developed [[Agriculture|agricultural]] techniques and a mixed food economy.<ref name="PHMC Late Woodland2">{{cite web |title=Late Woodland Period in the Susquehanna and Delaware River Valleys |url=http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/native_american_archaeology/3316/late_woodland_period/406837 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321213816/http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/native_american_archaeology/3316/late_woodland_period/406837 |archive-date=March 21, 2016 |access-date=December 8, 2014 |publisher=Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission}}</ref>

By the time [[European colonization of the Americas]] began, at least two major Native American tribes inhabited Pennsylvania.<ref name="PHMC12" /> The first, the [[Lenape]], spoke an [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian language]] and inhabited the eastern region of the state, then known as [[Lenapehoking]]. It included most of [[New Jersey]], the [[Lehigh Valley]], and [[Delaware Valley]] regions of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. The Lenape's territory ended somewhere between the [[Delaware River]] in the east and the [[Susquehanna River]] in central Pennsylvania. The [[Susquehannock]], who spoke an [[Iroquoian language]], were based in [[Western Pennsylvania]] from [[New York (state)|New York]] state in the north to [[West Virginia]] in the southwest that included the Susquehanna River to the [[Allegheny River|Allegheny]] and [[Monongahela River|Monongahela]] rivers near present-day [[Pittsburgh]].<ref>"On the Susquehannocks: Natives having used Baltimore County as hunting grounds - The Historical Society of Baltimore County". www.HSOBC.org. Retrieved August 17, 2017.</ref> European disease and constant warfare with several neighbors and groups of Europeans weakened these tribes, and they were grossly outpaced financially as the [[Wyandot people|Hurons]] and [[Iroquois]] blocked them from proceeding west into Ohio during the [[Beaver Wars]]. As they lost numbers and land, they abandoned much of their western territory and moved closer to the Susquehanna River and the Iroquois and Mohawk tribes located more to the north. Northwest of the Allegheny River was the Iroquoian [[Petun]].<ref>"Early Indian Migration in Ohio". GenealogyTrails.com. Retrieved August 17, 2017.</ref><ref>Garrad, Charles "Petun and the Petuns"</ref> They were fragmented into three groups during the Beaver Wars: the Petun of New York, the Wyandot of [[Ohio]], and the Tiontatecaga of the Kanawha River in southern West Virginia. South of the Allegheny River was a nation known as Calicua.<ref>(Extrapolation from the 16th-century Spanish, 'Cali' ˈkali a rich agricultural area – geographical sunny climate. also 1536, Cauca River, linking Cali, important for higher population agriculture and cattle raising and Colombia's coffee is produced in the adjacent uplands. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. 'Cali', city, metropolis, urban center. Pearson Education 2006. "Calica", Yucatán place name called rock pit, a port an hour south of Cancún. Sp. root: "Cal", limestone. Also today, 'Calicuas', supporting cylinder or enclosing ring, or moveable prop as in holding a strut)</ref> They may have been the same as the [[Monongahela culture]] and little is known about them except that they were probably a [[Siouan languages|Siouan]] culture. Archaeological sites from this time in this region are scarce.

===17th century===
{{Main|Province of Pennsylvania}}
[[File:William_Penn.png|thumb|[[William Penn]], a [[Quakers|Quaker]] and son of a [[William Penn (Royal Navy officer)|prominent admiral]], founded the colonial [[Province of Pennsylvania]] in 1681.]]
In the 17th century, the [[New Netherland|Dutch]] and the [[Virginia Company|English]] each claimed both sides of the [[Delaware River]] as part of their colonial lands in America.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Paullin |first1=Charles O. |title=Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States |date=1932 |publisher=[[Carnegie Institution of Washington]] and [[American Geographical Society]] |editor-last=Wright |editor-first=John K. |location=New York and Washington, D.C. |pages=Plate 42}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Sources and Documents of United States Constitutions |publisher=[[Oceana Publications]] |year=1973–1979 |editor-last=Swindler |editor-first=William F. |volume=10 |location=Dobbs Ferry, New York |pages=17–23}}</ref><ref name="Van Zandt2">{{cite book |last=Van Zandt |first=Franklin K. |title=Boundaries of the United States and the Several States |publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]] |year=1976 |series=Geological Survey Professional Papers |volume=909 |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=74, 92}}</ref> The Dutch were the first to take possession.<ref name="Van Zandt2" /> By June 3, 1631, the Dutch began settling the [[Delmarva Peninsula]] by establishing the [[Zwaanendael Colony]] on the site of present-day [[Lewes, Delaware]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Munroe |first=John A. |title=Colonial Delaware: A History |publisher=KTO Press |year=1978 |location=Millwood, New York |pages=9–12}}</ref> In 1638, Sweden established [[New Sweden|New Sweden Colony]] in the region of [[Fort Christina]] on the site of present-day [[Wilmington, Delaware]]. New Sweden claimed and, for the most part, controlled the lower Delaware River region, including parts of present-day Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, but settled few colonists there.<ref>{{cite book |last=Munroe |first=John A. |title=Colonial Delaware: A History |publisher=KTO Press |year=1978 |location=Millwood, New York |page=16}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=McCormick |first=Richard P. |title=New Jersey from Colony to State, 1609–1789. New Jersey Historical Series, Volume 1 |publisher=D. Van Nostrand Company |year=1964 |location=Princeton, New Jersey |page=12}}</ref>

On March 12, 1664, [[Charles II of England|King Charles II of England]] gave [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]] a grant that incorporated all lands included in the original Virginia Company of Plymouth Grant and other lands. This grant was in conflict with the Dutch claim for [[New Netherland]], which included parts of today's Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite book |title=Sources and Documents of United States Constitutions |publisher=[[Oceana Publications]] |year=1973–1979 |editor-last=Swindler |editor-first=William F. |volume=4 |location=Dobbs Ferry, New York |pages=278–280}}</ref>

On June 24, 1664, the Duke of York sold the portion of his large grant that included present-day [[New Jersey]] to [[John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton|John Berkeley]] and [[George Carteret]] for a proprietary colony. The land was not yet in British possession, but the sale boxed in the portion of New Netherland on the West side of the Delaware River. The British conquest of New Netherland began on August 29, 1664, when [[New Amsterdam]] was coerced to surrender while facing cannons on British ships in [[New York Harbor]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Van Zandt |first=Franklin K. |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_skxAAAAAIAAJ |title=Boundaries of the United States and the Several States; Geological Survey Professional Paper 909 |publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]] |year=1976 |location=Washington, D.C. |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_skxAAAAAIAAJ/page/n88 79]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Sources and Documents of United States Constitutions |publisher=[[Oceana Publications]] |year=1973–1979 |editor-last=Swindler |editor-first=William F. |volume=6 |location=Dobbs Ferry, New York |pages=375–377}}</ref> This conquest continued, and was completed in October 1664, when the British captured [[Fort Casimir]] in what today is [[New Castle, Delaware]].

The [[Peace of Breda]] between England, France, and the Netherlands confirmed the English conquest on July 21, 1667,<ref>{{cite book |last=Farnham |first=Mary Frances |title=Farnham Papers (1603–1688). Volumes 7 and 8 of Documentary History of the State of Maine |publisher=Collections of the [[Maine Historical Society]], 2nd Series. |year=1901–1902 |volume=7 |location=Portland, Maine |pages=311, 314}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Consolidated Treaty Series; 231 Volumes |title-link=Consolidated Treaty Series |publisher=[[Oceana Publications]] |year=1969–1981 |editor-last=Parry |editor-first=Clive |volume=10 |location=Dobbs Ferry, New York |page=231}}</ref> although there were temporary reversions.

On September 12, 1672, during the [[Third Anglo-Dutch War]], the Dutch reconquered [[New York Colony]]/[[New Amsterdam]], establishing three County Courts, which went on to become original Counties in present-day Delaware and Pennsylvania. The one that later transferred to Pennsylvania was Upland.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/documentsrelativ09brod |title=Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York; Volumes 12–15 |year=1853–1887 |editor-last=Fernow |editor-first=B. |location=Albany, New York |publisher=Weed, Parsons and Co |pages=[https://archive.org/details/documentsrelativ09brod/page/507 507]–508 |access-date=November 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407175836/https://archive.org/details/documentsrelativ09brod |archive-date=April 7, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> This was partially reversed on February 9, 1674, when the [[Treaty of Westminster (1674)|Treaty of Westminster]] ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War and reverted all political situations to the ''status quo ante bellum''. The British retained the Dutch Counties with their Dutch names.<ref>{{cite book |title=Consolidated Treaty Series; 231 Volumes |publisher=[[Oceana Publications]] |year=1969–1981 |editor-last=Parry |editor-first=Clive |volume=13 |location=Dobbs Ferry, New York |page=136}}</ref> By June 11, 1674, New York reasserted control over the outlying colonies, including Upland, and the names started to be changed to British names by November 11, 1674.<ref>{{cite book |title=Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York; Volumes 12–15 |year=1853–1887 |editor-last=Fernow |editor-first=B. |volume=12 |location=Albany, New York |publisher=Weed, Parsons and Co |page=515}}</ref> Upland was partitioned on November 12, 1674, producing the general outline of the current border between Pennsylvania and Delaware.<ref>{{cite book |title=Record of the Court at Upland, in Pennsylvania, 1676 to 1681 |publisher=Memoirs of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania Volume 7 |year=1860 |editor-last=Armstrong |editor-first=Edward |pages=119, 198}}</ref>

On February 28, 1681, Charles II granted a land charter<ref>[http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/pa01.asp Charter for the Province of Pennsylvania-1681] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428183155/http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/pa01.asp|date=April 28, 2011}}. This charter, granted by [[Charles II (England)]] to William Penn, constituted him and his heirs proprietors of the province, which, in honor of his father, [[William Penn (Royal Navy officer)|Admiral William Penn]], whose cash advances and services were requited, was called Pennsylvania. On August 24, 1682, to perfect his title, [[William Penn]] purchased, a quit-claim from the [[James II (England)|Duke of York]] to the lands west of the Delaware River embraced in his patent of 1664</ref> to [[Quakers|Quaker]] leader William Penn to repay a debt of £16,000<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4rQBAAAAMAAJ |title=Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Governors, Volume 1 |year=1916 |editor=Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Governors |pages=180–181 |chapter=Samuel Carpenter}}</ref> (around £2,100,000 in 2008, adjusting for retail inflation)<ref>{{cite web |title=Measuring Worth |url=http://www.measuringworth.com/ppoweruk/result.php?use%5B%5D=CPI&use%5B%5D=NOMINALEARN&year_early=1681&pound71=16000&shilling71=&pence71=&amount=16000&year_source=1681&year_result=2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714064027/http://www.measuringworth.com/ppoweruk/result.php?use%5B%5D=CPI&use%5B%5D=NOMINALEARN&year_early=1681&pound71=16000&shilling71=&pence71=&amount=16000&year_source=1681&year_result=2008 |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |publisher=Measuring Worth}}</ref> owed to William's father. The transaction represents one of the largest land grants to an individual in history.<ref name="quapoly2">{{cite web |date=March 28, 2006 |title=Quakers and the political process |url=http://www.pym.org/exhibit/p078.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524050103/http://www.pym.org/exhibit/p078.html |archive-date=May 24, 2008 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |publisher=Pym.org}}</ref> Penn proposed that the land be called New Wales, but there were objections to that name, so he recommended Sylvania (from the [[Latin]] ''silva'': "forest, woods"). The King named it Pennsylvania (literally "Penn's Woods") in honor of Admiral Penn. The younger Penn was embarrassed at this name, fearing that people would think he had named it after himself, but King Charles would not rename the grant.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wales on Britannia: Facts About Wales & the Welsh |url=http://www.britannia.com/celtic/wales/facts/facts1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222003958/http://www.britannia.com/celtic/wales/facts/facts1.html |archive-date=February 22, 2015 |access-date=September 16, 2013 |publisher=Britannia.com |quote=This day, my country was confirmed to me under the great seal of England, with privileges, by the name of Pennsylvania, a name the King would give it in honor of my father. I chose New Wales, being as this, a pretty, hilly country, but Penn being Welsh for head as in Penmanmoire (sic), in Wales, and Penrith, in Cumberland, and Penn, in Buckinghamshire . . . called this Pennsylvania, which is the high or head woodlands; for I proposed, when the secretary, a Welshman, refused to have it called New Wales, Sylvania and they added Penn to it, and though I opposed it and went to the King to have it struck out and altered he said it was past . . nor could twenty guineas move the under-secretary to vary the name}}</ref> Penn established a government with two innovations that were much copied in the New World: the [[county commission]] and [[Freedom of religion|freedom of religious conviction]].<ref name="quapoly2" />

What had been Upland on the Pennsylvania side of the Pennsylvania-Delaware border was renamed as [[Chester County, Pennsylvania|Chester County]] when Pennsylvania instituted their colonial governments on March 4, 1681.<ref>{{cite book |title=Record of the Court at Upland, in Pennsylvania, 1676 to 1681 |publisher=Memoirs of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania |year=1860 |editor-last=Armstrong |editor-first=Edward |volume=7 |page=196}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Sources and Documents of United States Constitutions. 10 Volumes |publisher=[[Oceana Publications]] |year=1973–1979 |editor-last=Swindler |editor-first=William F. |volume=8 |location=Dobbs Ferry, New York |page=243}}</ref> Penn signed a peace treaty with [[Tamanend]], leader of the Lenape, which began a long period of friendly relations between the Quakers and the Indians.<ref>{{cite book |last=Yount |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pk7ycUq3cxsC&pg=PA82 |title=How the Quakers invented America |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7425-5833-5 |page=82 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906084151/https://books.google.com/books?id=pk7ycUq3cxsC&pg=PA82&dq&hl=en |archive-date=September 6, 2015}}</ref> Additional treaties between Quakers and other tribes followed. The [[Treaty of Shackamaxon|treaty]] of William Penn was never violated.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fisher |first=Sydney G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zKzFgAlx1CkC&pg=PA13 |title=The Quaker Colonies |publisher=Echo Library |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-4068-5110-6 |page=13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320020816/http://books.google.com/books?id=zKzFgAlx1CkC&pg=PA13&dq&hl=en |archive-date=March 20, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia &#124; Treaty of Shackamaxon |url=https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/treaty-of-shackamaxon-2/ |website=philadelphiaencyclopedia.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 7, 2014 |title=Respectfully Remembering the Affable One |url=https://hiddencityphila.org/2014/05/respectfully-remembering-the-affable-one/ |website=Hidden City Philadelphia}}</ref>

===18th century===
{{See also|Pennsylvania in the American Revolution}}{{Further|George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River|Philadelphia campaign|Constitutional Convention (United States)}}
[[File:Shelter_House_Emmaus_PA_2.JPG|thumb|[[Shelter House]] in [[Emmaus, Pennsylvania|Emmaus]], constructed in 1734 by [[Pennsylvania Dutch|Pennsylvania German]] settlers, is the oldest continuously occupied building structure in the [[Lehigh Valley]] and one of the oldest in Pennsylvania<ref>[https://shelterhouseemmaus.org/about/ Shelter House official website], retrieved May 4, 2022</ref>]]
[[File:Independence_Hall.jpg|thumb|[[Independence Hall]] in [[Philadelphia]], where the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] and  [[Constitution of the United States|United States Constitution]] were adopted in 1776 and 1787-88, respectively]]
Between 1730 and when the Pennsylvania Colony was shut down by [[Parliament of Great Britain|Parliament]] with the [[Currency Act]] in 1764, the Pennsylvania Colony made its own paper money to account for the shortage of actual gold and silver. The paper money was called Colonial Scrip.

The Colony issued bills of credit, which were as good as gold or silver coins because of their legal tender status. Since they were issued by the government and not a banking institution, it was an interest free proposition, largely defraying the expense of the government and therefore taxation of the people. It also promoted general employment and prosperity, since the government used discretion and did not issue excessive amounts that inflated the currency. [[Benjamin Franklin]] had a hand in creating this currency, whose utility, he said, was never to be disputed. The currency also met with "cautious approval" by [[Adam Smith]].<ref>Hamilton, Alexander and Syrett, Harold C. ''The Papers of Alexander Hamilton''. 1963, page 240.</ref>

The [[University of Pennsylvania]] in [[Philadelphia]] was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740, becoming one of the nine [[colonial colleges]] and the first college established in the state and one of the first in the nation; today, it is an [[Ivy League]] university that is ranked one the world's best universities.<ref name="oldestcolleges2">{{cite web |title=The Five Oldest Colleges in Pennsylvania |url=https://classroom.synonym.com/five-oldest-colleges-pennsylvania-7886287.html |access-date=February 25, 2022 |publisher=Classroom}}</ref> [[Dickinson College]] in [[Carlisle, Pennsylvania|Carlisle]] was the first college founded after the states united.<ref name="oldestcolleges2" /> Established in 1773, Dickinson was ratified five days after the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]] on September 9, 1783, and was founded by [[Benjamin Rush]] and named after [[John Dickinson]].

[[James Smith (frontiersman)|James Smith]] wrote that in 1763, "the Indians again commenced hostilities, and were busily engaged in killing and scalping the frontier inhabitants in various parts of Pennsylvania. This state was then a Quaker government, and at the first of this war the frontiers received no assistance from the state."<ref>{{cite web |year=1799 |title=An account of the remarkable occurrences in the life and travels of Colonel James Smith (Late a citizen of Bourbon County, Kentucky) : during his captivity with the Indians, in the years 1755,'56, '57, '58, & '59 |url=https://archive.org/details/accountofremarka00smit |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150131120248/https://archive.org/details/accountofremarka00smit |archive-date=January 31, 2015 |access-date=November 16, 2014 |website=Internet Archive |publisher=Lexington : John Bradford}}</ref> The ensuing hostilities became known as [[Pontiac's War]].

After the [[Stamp Act Congress]] of 1765, delegate [[John Dickinson (delegate)|John Dickinson]] of Philadelphia wrote the [[Declaration of Rights and Grievances]]. The Congress was the first meeting of the [[Thirteen Colonies]], called at the request of the [[Province of Massachusetts Bay|Massachusetts]] assembly, but only nine of the 13 colonies sent delegates.<ref>{{cite web |title=Library of Congress timeline 1764–1765 |url=http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/timeline.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726144043/http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/timeline.html |archive-date=July 26, 2010 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |newspaper=The Library of Congress}}</ref> Dickinson then wrote ''[[Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania|Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, To the Inhabitants of the British Colonies]]'', which were published in the Pennsylvania Chronicle between December 2, 1767, and February 15, 1768.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dickinson Letters |url=http://18thcenturyreadingroom.blogspot.com/2005_10_01_18thcenturyreadingroom_archive.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708021458/http://18thcenturyreadingroom.blogspot.com/2005_10_01_18thcenturyreadingroom_archive.html |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |publisher=18thcenturyreadingroom.blogspot.com}}</ref>

When the [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Fathers]] convened in Philadelphia in 1774, 12 colonies sent representatives to the [[First Continental Congress]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Library of Congress timeline 1773–1774 |url=http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/timeline1e.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100807142344/http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/timeline1e.html |archive-date=August 7, 2010 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |publisher=Library of Congress}}</ref> The [[Second Continental Congress]], which also met in Philadelphia beginning in May 1775, authored and signed the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] in Philadelphia,<ref>{{cite web |date=July 20, 2010 |title=Library of Congress: Primary documents—The Declaration of Independence |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/DeclarInd.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804073324/http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/DeclarInd.html |archive-date=August 4, 2010 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |publisher=Library of Congress}}</ref> but when Philadelphia fell to the [[British Army during the American Revolutionary War|British]] in the [[Philadelphia Campaign]], the Continental Congress moved west, where it met at the [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania|Lancaster]] courthouse on Saturday, September 27, 1777, and then to [[York, Pennsylvania|York]]. In York, the Second Continental Congress adopted the [[Articles of Confederation]], largely authored by Pennsylvania delegate [[John Dickinson]], that formed 13 independent States{{efn|At the time, Vermont has not yet seceded from New York State.}} into a new union. Later, the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] was written, and Philadelphia was once again chosen to be cradle to the new nation.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 26, 2009 |title=Nine Capitals of the United States |url=https://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_item/Nine_Capitals_of_the_United_States.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320084755/https://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_item/Nine_Capitals_of_the_United_States.htm |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |publisher=Senate.gov}}</ref> The Constitution was drafted and signed at the [[Pennsylvania State House]] in Philadelphia, now known as [[Independence Hall]], the same building where the Declaration of Independence was previously adopted and signed in 1776.<ref>{{cite web |title=Constitution FAQs |url=http://constitutioncenter.org/learn/educational-resources/constitution-faqs/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616141646/http://constitutioncenter.org/learn/educational-resources/constitution-faqs |archive-date=June 16, 2016 |access-date=June 19, 2016 |publisher=National Constitution Center}}</ref>

On December 12, 1787, Pennsylvania was the second state to ratify the [[Constitution of the United States|U.S. Constitution]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Pennsylvania ratifies the Constitution of 1787 |url=http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec12.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806055850/http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec12.html |archive-date=August 6, 2010 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |publisher=Library of Congress}}</ref> five days after [[Delaware]] became the first. At the time, Pennsylvania was the most ethnically and religiously diverse of the thirteen colonies. Because a third of Pennsylvania's population spoke [[German language|German]], the Constitution was presented in German so those citizens could participate in the discussion about it. [[Frederick Muhlenberg|Reverend Frederick Muhlenberg]], a [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] minister and the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives]], acted as chairman of Pennsylvania's ratifying convention.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pennsylvania ratifies the Constitution |url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pennsylvania-ratifies-the-constitution |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013064640/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pennsylvania-ratifies-the-constitution |archive-date=October 13, 2017 |access-date=September 18, 2017 |publisher=A&E Television Networks, LLC}}</ref>

For half a century, the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly]] met at various places in the Philadelphia area before it began meeting regularly in Independence Hall in Philadelphia for 63 years.<ref name="legiscap2">{{cite web |title=Pennsylvania's Capitals |url=http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/VC/visitor_info/brown/capitols.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000615224551/http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/VC/visitor_info/brown/capitols.htm |archive-date=June 15, 2000 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |publisher=Legis.state.pa.us}}</ref> However, events such as the [[Paxton Boys]] massacres of 1763 had made the legislature aware of the need for a central capital. In 1799, the General Assembly moved to the [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania|Lancaster]] Courthouse.<ref name="legiscap2" />

===19th century===
{{See also|Pennsylvania in the American Civil War|Battle of Gettysburg|Gettysburg Address|Industrial Revolution in the United States}}
[[File:Thure_de_Thulstrup_-_L._Prang_and_Co._-_Battle_of_Gettysburg_-_Restoration_by_Adam_Cuerden.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle of Gettysburg]], fought July 1–3, 1863 in [[Gettysburg Battlefield|Gettysburg]], was the Civil War's [[List of costliest American Civil War land battles|deadliest battle]] but also is widely considered the [[Turning point of the American Civil War|war's turning point]] in the [[Union Army|Union's]] ultimate victory. The battle is depicted in this 1887 [[Thure de Thulstrup]] painting, ''Battle of Gettysburg''.]]
[[File:Lincolnatgettysburg.jpg|thumb|On November 19, 1863, [[Abraham Lincoln|President Abraham Lincoln]] (center, facing camera) arrived in [[Gettysburg National Cemetery|Gettysburg]] and delivered the [[Gettysburg Address]], considered one of the best-known speeches in American history.<ref name="Conant 2015 ix2">{{cite book |last=Conant |first=Sean |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_bmyBwAAQBAJ&pg=PR9 |title=The Gettysburg Address: Perspectives on Lincoln's Greatest Speech |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-022745-6 |location=New York |page=ix}}</ref><ref name="Holsinger 1999 1022">{{cite book |last=Holsinger |first=M. Paul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oe4AOVHkJ9oC&pg=PA102 |title=War and American Popular Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia |date=1999 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0-313-29908-7 |location=Westport, CT |page=102}}</ref>]]
The [[Pennsylvania General Assembly]] met in the old [[Dauphin County, Pennsylvania|Dauphin County]] Court House until December 1821<ref name="legiscap2" /> when the [[Federal architecture|Federal]]-style Hills Capitol, named for Lancaster architect [[Stephen Hills]], was constructed on a hilltop land grant of four acres set aside for a seat of state government in [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]] by the son and namesake of [[John Harris, Sr.]], a [[Yorkshire]] native who founded a trading post and ferry on the east shore of the [[Susquehanna River]] in 1705.<ref>{{cite web |year=2001 |title=History of John Harris |url=http://www.angelfire.com/on/Canadiangenealogy/harris.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408203618/http://www.angelfire.com/on/Canadiangenealogy/harris.html |archive-date=April 8, 2011 |access-date=February 14, 2011 |publisher=Mrs. Carlyle C. Browne (descendant of Sarah Ann Harris, fifth daughter of Alfred Bingham Harris, and granddaughter of Elisha John Harris of the Mansion, Harrisburg PA, USA)}}</ref> The Hills Capitol burned down on February 2, 1897, during a heavy snowstorm, presumably because of a faulty [[flue]].<ref name="legiscap2" />

The General Assembly met at a nearby [[Methodism|Methodist Church]] until a new capitol could be built. Following an architectural selection contest that some alleged had been rigged, [[Chicago]] architect [[Henry Ives Cobb]] was asked to design and build a replacement building. However, the legislature had little money to allocate to the project. When  they dubbed the roughly finished somewhat industrial Cobb Capitol building complete, the General Assembly refused to occupy the building. In 1901, political and popular indignation prompted a second contest that was restricted to Pennsylvania architects; [[Joseph Miller Huston]] of Philadelphia was chosen to design the present [[Pennsylvania State Capitol]] that incorporated Cobb's building into a magnificent public work, finished and dedicated in 1907.<ref name="legiscap2" />

[[James Buchanan]], a [[Franklin County, Pennsylvania|Franklin County]] native, served as the 15th U.S. president and was the first president to be born in Pennsylvania.<ref name="jimbo2">{{cite web |title=James Buchanan White House biography |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/history/presidents/jb15.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803013954/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/history/presidents/jb15.html |archive-date=August 3, 2010 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |via=[[NARA|National Archives]]}}</ref> The [[Battle of Gettysburg]], the major turning point of the [[American Civil War]], took place near [[Gettysburg, Pennsylvania|Gettysburg]] in July 1863.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Battle of Gettysburg |url=http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/b/b3/200px-Dddr66.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114202108/http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/b/b3/200px-Dddr66.jpg |archive-date=January 14, 2009}}</ref> An estimated 350,000 Pennsylvanians served in the [[Union Army]] forces, including 8,600 African American [[military volunteer]]s.

The politics of Pennsylvania were for decades dominated by the financially conservative [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]-aligned [[Cameron machine]], established by  [[Simon Cameron|U.S. Senator Simon Cameron]],<ref name="chapter12">[https://explorepahistory.com/story.php?storyId=1-9-20&chapter=1 Chapter One: 1. Pennsylvania's Bosses and Political Machines]. ''ExplorePAHistory.com''. Retrieved February 18, 2022.</ref> later the [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] under [[Abraham Lincoln|President Abraham Lincoln]]. Control of the machine was subsequently passed on to Cameron's son [[J. Donald Cameron]], whose ineffectiveness resulted in a transfer of power to the more shrewd [[Matthew Quay]] and finally to [[Boies Penrose]].

The post-Civil War era, known as the [[Gilded Age]], saw the continued rise of industry in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was home to some of the largest steel companies in the world. [[Andrew Carnegie]] founded the [[Carnegie Steel Company]] in [[Pittsburgh]] and [[Charles M. Schwab]] founded [[Bethlehem Steel]] in [[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania|Bethlehem]]. Other titans of industry, including [[John D. Rockefeller]] and [[Jay Gould]], also operated in Pennsylvania. In the latter half of the 19th century, the U.S. [[oil industry]] was born in [[Western Pennsylvania]], which supplied the vast majority of [[kerosene]] for years thereafter. As the [[Pennsylvania oil rush]] developed, Pennsylvania's oil boom towns, such as [[Titusville, Pennsylvania|Titusville]], rose and later fell. Coal mining, primarily in the state's [[Coal Region]] in the northeast region of the state, also was a major industry for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1903, [[Milton S. Hershey]] began construction on a chocolate factory in [[Hershey, Pennsylvania]]; [[The Hershey Company]] grew to become the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. [[Heinz Company]] was also founded during this period. These huge companies exercised a large influence on the politics of Pennsylvania; as [[Henry Demarest Lloyd]] put it, oil baron John D. Rockefeller "had done everything with the Pennsylvania legislature except refine it".<ref name="NCBB2">{{cite web |title=Chapter 2: Pennsylvania Under the Reign of Big Business |url=http://explorepahistory.com/story.php?storyId=1-9-20&chapter=2 |access-date=November 27, 2014 |website=Explore PAHistory.com |publisher=WITF}}</ref> Pennsylvania created a Department of Highways and engaged in a vast program of road-building, while railroads continued to see heavy usage.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The growth of industry eventually provided middle class incomes to working-class households after the development of labor unions helped them gain living wages. However, the rise of unions also led to a rise of [[union busting]] with several private police forces springing up.<ref name="NCBB2" /> Pennsylvania was the location of the first documented organized strike in North America, and Pennsylvania was the location of two hugely prominent strikes, the [[Great Railroad Strike of 1877]] and the [[Coal Strike of 1902]]. The eight-hour day was eventually adopted, and the coal and iron police were banned.<ref name="LSO2">{{cite web |title=Overview: Labor's Struggle to Organize |url=http://explorepahistory.com/story.php?storyId=1-9-22 |access-date=November 27, 2014 |website=Explore PAHistory.com |publisher=WITF}}</ref>

===20th century===
[[File:Bethlehem_Steel.jpg|thumb|[[Bethlehem Steel]] in [[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania|Bethlehem]] was one of the world's leading steel manufacturers for most of the 19th and 20th century. In 1982, however, it discontinued most of its operations, declared bankruptcy in 2001, and was dissolved in 2003.]]
At the beginning of the 20th century, Pennsylvania's economy centered on steel production, [[logging]], [[coal mining]], [[textile]] production, and other forms of industrial [[manufacturing]]. A surge in immigration to the U.S. during the late 19th and early 20th centuries provided a steady flow of cheap labor for these industries, which often employed children and people who could not speak English from [[Southern Europe|Southern]] and [[Eastern Europe]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}} Thousands of Pennsylvanians volunteered during the [[Spanish–American War]]. Pennsylvania was an important industrial center in [[World War I]], and the state provided over 300,000 soldiers for the military. On May 31, 1918, the [[Pittsburgh Agreement]] was signed in [[Pittsburgh]] to declare the formation of the independent state of [[Czechoslovakia]] with future Czechoslovak president [[Tomáš Masaryk]].

In 1922, 310,000 Pennsylvania miners went on strike during the [[UMW General coal strike (1922)|UMW General coal strike]], shutting down most coal mines within the state.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Humanities |first=National Endowment for the |date=August 5, 1922 |title=The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, August 05, 1922, Image 1 |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn78000395/1922-08-05/ed-1/seq-1/ |via=chroniclingamerica.loc.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Zimand |first= |orig-date=May 1922. Print |title=Labor Age |pages=4–7, 15–17 |url=https://archive.org/details/v11n05-may-1922-LA/page/n5/mode/2up |access-date=March 2, 2023}}</ref>

In 1923, [[Calvin Coolidge|President Calvin Coolidge]] established the [[Allegheny National Forest]] under the authority of the [[Weeks Act]] of 1911.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the Area |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/allegheny/about-forest/about-area |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314033332/http:/www.fs.usda.gov/main/allegheny/about-forest/about-area |archive-date=March 14, 2012 |access-date=July 30, 2018}}</ref> The forest is located in the northwest part of the state in [[Elk County, Pennsylvania|Elk]], [[Forest County, Pennsylvania|Forest]], [[McKean, Pennsylvania|McKean]], and [[Warren County, Pennsylvania|Warren]] Counties for the purposes of timber production and watershed protection in the [[Allegheny River]] basin. The Allegheny is the state's only national forest.<ref>{{cite web |title=The National Forests of the United States |url=https://foresthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/National-Forests-of-the-U.S.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028014355/http://www.foresthistory.org/ASPNET/Places/National%20Forests%20of%20the%20U.S.pdf |archive-date=October 28, 2012 |access-date=June 16, 2018 |publisher=Forest History Society}}</ref>

Pennsylvania manufactured 6.6 percent of total U.S. military armaments produced during [[World War II]], ranking sixth among the 48 states.<ref>[[Whiz Kids (Department of Defense)|Peck, Merton J.]] & [[Frederic M. Scherer|Scherer, Frederic M.]] ''The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis'' (1962) [[Harvard Business School]] p. 111</ref> The [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]] served as an important naval base, and Pennsylvania produced important military leaders, including [[George C. Marshall]], [[Henry H. Arnold|Hap Arnold]], [[Jacob L. Devers|Jacob Devers]], and [[Carl Spaatz]]. During the war, over a million Pennsylvanians served in the armed forces, and more [[Medal of Honor|Medals of Honor]] were awarded to Pennsylvanians than to individuals from any other state.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The [[Three Mile Island accident]] was the most significant [[Nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents|nuclear accident]] in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 21, 2018 |title=Backgrounder on the Three Mile Island Accident |url=https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824203624/https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle.html |archive-date=August 24, 2019 |access-date=August 24, 2019 |website=[[Nuclear Regulatory Commission]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=King |first1=Laura |last2=Hall |first2=Kenji |last3=Magnier |first3=Mark |date=March 18, 2011 |title=In Japan, workers struggling to hook up power to Fukushima reactor |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/18/world/la-fgw-japan-quake-main-20110319 |url-status=live |access-date=August 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322152850/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/18/world/la-fgw-japan-quake-main-20110319 |archive-date=March 22, 2011}}</ref> The state was hard-hit by the decline and restructuring of the steel industry and other heavy industries during the late 20th century. With job losses came heavy population losses, especially in the state's largest cities. Pittsburgh lost its place among the [[List of most populous cities in the United States by decade|top ten most populous cities in the United States]] by 1950, and Philadelphia dropped to the fifth and currently the [[List of United States cities by population|sixth-largest city]] after decades of being among the top three.

After 1990, as information-based industries became more important in the economy, state and local governments put more resources into the old, well-established public library system. Some localities, however, used new state funding to cut local taxes.<ref>William F. Stine, "Does State Aid Stimulate Public Library Expenditures? Evidence from Pennsylvania's Enhancement Aid Program" ''Library Quarterly'' (2006) 76#1 107-139.</ref> New ethnic groups, especially [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics and Latinos]], began entering the state to fill low-skill jobs in agriculture and service industries. For example, in [[Chester County, Pennsylvania|Chester County]], [[Mexican Americans|Mexican]] immigrants brought the [[Spanish language]], increased [[Catholicism]], high birth rates, and cuisine when they were hired as agricultural laborers; in some rural localities, they made up half or more of the population.<ref>Victor M. Garcia, "The Mushroom Industry And The Emergence Of Mexican Enclaves In Southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1960-1990" ''Journal of Latino-Latin American Studies (JOLLAS)'' (2005) 1#4 pp 67-88.</ref>

[[Stateside Puerto Ricans]] built a large community in the state's third-largest city, [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]], where they comprise over 40% of the city's population as of 2000.<ref>Gilbert Marzan, "Still Looking for that Elsewhere: Puerto Rican Poverty and Migration in the Northeast." ''Centro Journal'' (2009) 21#1 pp 100-117 [https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/377/37721248005.pdf online].</ref>

In the 20th century, as Pennsylvania's historical national and even global leadership in [[mining]] largely ceased and its [[steelmaking]] and other heavy manufacturing sectors slowed, the state sought to grow its service and other industries to replace the jobs and economic productivity lost from the downturn of these industries. Pittsburgh's concentration of universities has enabled it to be a leader in technology and healthcare. Similarly, Philadelphia has a concentration of university expertise. Healthcare, retail, transportation, and tourism are some of the state's growing industries of the postindustrial era. As in the rest of the nation, most residential population growth has occurred in suburban rather than central city areas, although both major cities have had significant revitalization in their downtown areas.<ref>Ashok K. Dutt, and Baleshwar Thakur, ''City, Society, and Planning'' (Concept Publishing Company, 2007) pp. 55–56</ref> Philadelphia anchors the [[List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas|seventh-largest]] [[metropolitan area]] in the country and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, and Pittsburgh is the center of the nation's 27th-largest metropolitan areas. As of 2020, the [[Lehigh Valley]] in eastern Pennsylvania is the nation's 69th-largest metropolitan area.<ref name="Kraus2">{{cite news |last1=Kraus |first1=Scott |title=No end in sight to Valley's population growth |url=http://articles.mcall.com/2012-07-14/news/mc-allentown-growth-figures-20120714_1_population-growth-new-residents-macungie-and-bethlehem-townships |url-status=dead |access-date=December 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007013920/http://articles.mcall.com/2012-07-14/news/mc-allentown-growth-figures-20120714_1_population-growth-new-residents-macungie-and-bethlehem-townships |archive-date=October 7, 2012}}</ref> Pennsylvania also has [[List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas|six additional metropolitan areas]] that rank among the nation's 200-most populous metropolitan areas. Philadelphia forms part of the [[Northeast megalopolis]] and is associated with the [[Northeastern United States]]. Pittsburgh is part of the [[Great Lakes megalopolis]] and is often associated with the [[Midwestern United States]] and [[Rust Belt]].

===21st century===
{{further|Pittsburgh synagogue shooting|United Airlines Flight 93}}
[[File:Flight93Crash.jpg|thumb|The [[Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania|Stonycreek Township]] crash site of [[United Airlines Flight 93|Flight 93]], one of four planes hijacked in the [[September 11 attacks]]; the site is now a [[Flight 93 National Memorial|national memorial]]. Flight 93 passengers wrestled with [[Hijackers in the September 11 attacks|al-Qaeda terrorist hijackers]] for control of the plane, preventing it from being flown into the [[White House]] or [[United States Capitol|U.S. Capitol]].<ref name="Sources and detailed information2">[https://www.nps.gov/flni/learn/historyculture/sources-and-detailed-information.htm "Sources and detailed information"], National Park Service website</ref>]]
On September 11, 2001, during the [[September 11 attacks|terrorist attacks on the United States]], the small town of [[Shanksville, Pennsylvania]] received worldwide attention after [[United Airlines Flight 93]] crashed into a field in [[Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania|Stonycreek Township]], {{convert|1.75|mi|km}} north of the town, killing all 40 civilians and four [[Al-Qaeda]] hijackers on board. The hijackers had intended to crash the plane into either the [[United States Capitol]] or [[The White House]].<ref name="Sources and detailed information2" /> After learning from family members via air phone of the earlier attacks on the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]], however, Flight 93 passengers on board revolted against the hijackers and fought for control of the plane, causing it to crash. It was the only one of the four aircraft hijacked that day that never reached its intended target and the heroism of the passengers has been commemorated.<ref>Alexander Riley, ''Angel patriots: The crash of United Flight 93 and the myth of America'' (NYU Press, 2015) pp 1–34.</ref>

Since 2003, the [[Tekko (convention)|Tekko]] [[anime]] convention has been held annually in Pittsburgh.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tekko 2019 |url=http://www.teamtekko.us/about/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222153355/http://www.teamtekko.us/about/ |archive-date=February 22, 2019 |access-date=February 21, 2019 |website=About Tekko}}</ref>

In October 2018, the [[Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation]], a [[Conservative Judaism|conservative Jewish]] synagogue, experienced the [[Pittsburgh synagogue shooting]], which resulted in 11 fatalities.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 28, 2018 |title='They showed his photo, and my stomach just dropped': Neighbors recall synagogue massacre suspect as a loner |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/10/28/victims-expected-be-named-after-killed-deadliest-attack-jews-us-history/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029012657/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/10/28/victims-expected-be-named-after-killed-deadliest-attack-jews-us-history/ |archive-date=October 29, 2018}}</ref>