Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Storm Gathering: The Penn Family and the American Revolution
    The Storm Gathering: The Penn Family and the American Revolution
    The Storm Gathering: The Penn Family and the American Revolution
    Ebook403 pages5 hours

    The Storm Gathering: The Penn Family and the American Revolution

    By Lorett Treese

    5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Treese's book provides a popular history of Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary period from the vantage point of the heirs of William Penn.

    Most Pennsylvanians are familiar with the story of William Penn and the founding of Pennsylvania in 1681 as a haven for religious dissenters. But few may know what became of Penn's enterprise (the "proprietorship") in the years after his death in 1718. And fewer still may realize that Penn's descendants played an important, and increasingly unpopular, role in the coming of the American Revolution to Pennsylvania. The Storm Gathering, based on Penn family correspondence and other contemporary records, tells this fascinating story, focusing primarily on Thomas and John Penn, two of the last members of the Penn family to figure significantly in Pennsylvania's affairs before the colonies declared independence in 1776.

    Lorett Treese begins her story with Thomas Penn, William Penn's son who eventually became chief proprietor. Thomas groomed his nephew John (sometimes called "indolent") to be governor of the colony. When John took up his duties in 1763, at the end of the French and Indian War, the Penn proprietorship faced serious problems in managing Pennsylvania. The sheer size of the colony made it difficult for the Penns to collect their rents, and settlers moving westward clashed with Indians on the frontier, threatening the peaceful relationship that William Penn had established with native peoples. A stubborn legislature resisted Penn family control at nearly every turn, and Ben Franklin led an effort to thwart the Penns and make Pennsylvania a royal colony.

    According to Treese, these domestic problems diverted the Penns' attention from the growing movement in America toward democracy and independence. But by 1768, after the British parliament had passed the Townshend Act taxing the American colonies, John Penn and his uncle Thomas began to realize the magnitude of their troubles, referring to the growing rift between America and Britain as "the Storm gathering."

    Events began to overtake the Penns by 1775. In that year Thomas Penn died, and the bloodshed at Lexington and Concord brought war closer. In Pennsylvania, John Penn wrote that "The people here are forming themselves into companies & are daily exercising in order to be prepared for the worst." When the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia that summer, John knew that the end of Penn leadership was near. "Our form of government still continues," he wrote, "but I think it cannot last long . . . ." In 1776, as radical sentiment grew, the colonies declared independence from England, and Pennsylvania rewrote its constitution, divesting the Penn family of governing powers and making the colony a commonwealth. When war broke out, radical patriots forced John Penn into exile, and he eventually retired to his country home where he waited out the war.

    Treese concludes this engaging story with the end of the Revolution and its aftermath. While Pennsylvanians began the difficult work of reconstructing their government, the Penns attempted to salvage their personal fortunes. Many former officers of the Penn establishment participated again in government, but Penn family members were pushed outside of American government.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPSUPress
    Release dateOct 30, 1992
    ISBN9780271038568
    The Storm Gathering: The Penn Family and the American Revolution

    Read more from Lorett Treese

    Related to The Storm Gathering

    Related ebooks

    Wars & Military For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Leonard Pitts Jr.: Are We Not Entertained?

      Nov 21, 2021

      It’s like something out of middle school. Rep. Paul Gosar posts video of an asinine anime that depicts him violently murdering Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Facing censure in the House, he is defended by Rep. Lauren Boebert, who in the process slags

      2 min read

    • Article

      Aelfred’s Britain

      Jul 12, 2018

      Aelfred’s Britain
      2 min read

    • Article

      Tom Paine’s Bones

      Aug 14, 2022

      Tom Paine’s Bones
      4 min read

    • Article

      Lyman C. Draper

      Sep 6, 2022

      As a collector of paper currency, I stumbled upon this note/paycheck at a Lynn Knight currency show many years ago in Memphis, Tenn. I purchased the note from a private vendor and had no idea who Lyman Draper was, my interest was that the note had a

      4 min read

    • Article

      One Equal Light

      Dec 1, 2021

      WHEN the invitation came, we were a little mystified. In beautiful lettering on stiff creamy card, it read: The Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral and the Board of St Paul’s Cathedral Trust in America request the pleasure of your company for an intimate con

      3 min read

    • Article

      Spirited Away

      Apr 2, 2019

      Spirited Away
      8 min read

    • Article

      A Girl Full of Smartness

      Jun 2, 2017

      A Girl Full of Smartness
      9 min read

    • Article

      Pennsylvania

      Jun 22, 2021

      PENNSYLVANIA WAS THE MOST RELIGIOUSLY AND ethnically diverse of the original Thirteen Colonies. Philadelphia, its largest city, was the top port of arrival during the 1700s and remained an important entry point well into the 20th century. The commonw

      5 min read

    • Article

      Spaulding's Funeral

      Sep 7, 2021

      Spaulding's Funeral
      19 min read

    • Article

      Stephen Foster’s Civil War

      Nov 7, 2017

      Stephen Foster’s Civil War
      11 min read

    • Article

      Alaska, Ho!

      Dec 2, 2019

      Alaska, Ho!
      23 min read

    • Article

      Seeing Me, Seeing You

      Dec 4, 2021

      Seeing Me, Seeing You
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Very British Dispute

      Oct 22, 2021

      A Very British Dispute
      15 min read

    • Article

      The Anonymous Bard

      Jun 30, 2020

      The Anonymous Bard
      5 min read

    • Article

      What’s In A Name?

      Feb 23, 2023

      What’s In A Name?
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Storm Gathering

    5/5

    1 rating1 review

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I read this in about 2 hours last night. It was a great way to learn American history from a totally different viewpoint. We know the legend of the great Penn, but this is the nitty gritty of what happened next, and a remarkable second, third and even fourth generation that managed to work together despite differences on 2 sides of the Atlantic to govern Pennsylvania, deal with bloody conflicts between the Indians and settlers, and try to manage state lines when Virginians and Yankees from Connecticut tried to infiltrate with their own claims. And at the same tijme these family members worked to maximize the fortunes not of each other individually,but for the larger family.Franklin does not come out so well.He wanted to take the colony away from the Penns and bring in a royal government .He did not prevail.Pennsylvania was alway a family business.This would make an excellent assigned reading for a high school, or even college American history course covering the colonial period.It just so happens that when I picked this up in a thrift sale I also got A Little Revenge by Randall,which gives the story of Franklin and his son with a similar kind of bottoms up take on American history. I expect to have a similar experience

    Book preview

    The Storm Gathering - Lorett Treese

    h}3^book_preview_excerpt.html}˖q寄sUx} @x M G 芌Hģ Í>av:kfYh g!Qnnvýۦ^}ai7w_WӯOo7gogMs]5YrUY][ge-faЬoUYʵ>4ujv߻>sP7~m[uvXTw\ֽ ^/_˾'_wYՍK|1ⓛEp ៙ǐmʚ~E3`V罌oo =ǘ)! F ot=$ak_EQ쬯\ݗyUsHR~}q}Ӕ@mJHSg6x3jz|3WM>z~x(+Y=ӟz6}7|\SJXS]լ;e}էo¯/`p٢|ĬZs/a㠗Wo;w99y~s:lOKpES5Ym!λyv=}9)SY3gʾ^>;'wooP;m3d=$Curyv.q3rհd|}09Osiw, ЏMgV=_Z4w4AlwߥΥ߅𞺥{&s;^4m?^TP$yVvhx(ϰ7k } 9"v~ 3˫&j+b3%WF (~[b ^TG?vm:#D_uYWf~76WnvfN2씐CNgжDt`殄,^zwD6࿷7$Unt[R@,~iP $>6btl8,J-o/4:nឰQ{]_=N_Pidw1Q }"C>9Ã಍>=E)hkͶޚ#'&RӋJ@x4NLm\сf(*ڤae(Z)>GDHv 5 'Ѽ-}r>~JWa>>90_Pb{]>u"#GEߍ&Ix%^'S6 O)/C,(SCy[lY7lYFTvW֐SG2Xmh"S' ?B TvQ;lv8e;Nuk,\χ;@q ;ƺZΥ |DC[Ĵ/D9 ǶC\Ϲlⴥзق[JYڦيi45 D塅˯WB2I%] # tL*}٭g` ~&y35lU̍e ,wg盦,~+#@/ ] s@$y`eKM .baAQԃ%_ܑ@ɢ̲_|vIQXGu~D ]Z'/DqjFqpU/%b mC)]aR65K$љc̳SD^bj,)kjҙQxLvrG {ALV_f Q$? %6bgR}K!'pwA8eSan*k#CD@qW1~)aON/ɺ UXml"[.Z>qa_L7 :į&37-fh+a,([MI€X.mE<Gmzf^_irs0,pt"0S KP:Cfc?sTD0EKbd@E]0L Sotv[bH-M7%yQ֩(wV0` H`_ANrC=222r!녃gan*.-͍KʢR*m a0Ʃ:1r)y-l\@VrްG*H'?G< iU{N :]!{яuȗ4|WU3wkJ@Xs?OB3!>`о̡-SxS!&`P:Cte%Tiؒ%F2֞1l@g,6|1[| wijz]j-}^*QSߵ~E Wy_BR؂xgu^;ҙ8N,= bC y(Ap4# YJy%os,_T(t|Ue2<50g?\0a?ڐ3[^2(}{q7ݍ'd>#dp;VCיHvt)1!p(lsc3˨ FDȟPeܜ+IO`Ddo9.&+$REY'bv`+, $Xa%Tk l| @{S| 8@GXS7qxv%n 9 h 2V=q?ȮMKKxTP% _eH) 2EK3`E,L/kɇG23“v/@ȺcTFv$-r]9 c,)dd.ʮmtKy_*-/e9+<ŽV,011?D{uoe3g,Z}YV ݴTp%质T+a5$,5̹;9_uKIZT [+?V?rٸX*}_eT13g72ɱ!WBGП jaʒ7#M1%2OaQLB2g~UʾPH|>0`%`T&9ui!eӳÖͬSC'Y=1LjnG !4fiD`RP7 EEgݸ|e(ԙq|),I0U?I?8Z׻hJh/DT <]C'w Qu( Tv-> 7G ɞtTVyR\dN$&e &ڰ傔>{hACJSXeRRKX܂+׺QgdXnWgÖ3vx6`v@,"e)GXpB-2!꼬4O&lG0 5fDs_H,Y~\  JtYE ´ru!gW« !{ ZMY Be1$rR*I4 J֢( FdeA n1y]mD[Pwm^<t喈!J4bw&ut@\ bJoc<2L7NP{)eW.!( +hPI؅QZ#,)-Y+G`C~ˮ+(4)J̏r0_5 zhj/Qn,G&]HUQ-㟙HY~ 1CUN;e{?&IۀzGR4fK 9fl *h;`ǒk` H*bL'-mBJp\. a+ ]iJ_n2K.v#'΢V!(.ϬHղQcЭbN +aY<ԽD'BJ\iAY[0D=5b:c_R"gp1/QeAchKxQ:e=|xcFG4n*AԸghnm`b E:8cxb#U`bgW%{L sɼQ=Czmޔ/ŵpox ڱdH3_L ڑ\zYXk'o\]h 2xӎma,nAgm_,XCG߮G@A1pz@k&rfQjԄ>J(R!,QnCGN#DL]s`$]^}xϿߎ"8ddvr6*,QUjmLJV  ꯘxҺ#ܬQs4 -  C5Z͗Q! GƳ J]ePV<QXƒk$ZAL 5hZ]JOJlkHMN',0jTe'`Yy(wٸZy.'K< L|)&ZHte?[KZz4Ui\&loCv Vbp-E_}BoG]$2K8~ګPw$xj^Wq)8"ݭ 6Z/y ,FBz-]vr8%94 bа . kv:zܻ;Lm,H5FdcYTy"ɉd HK`/1oL%g! Us&=!HsH̲Kdc+;9td(3VBHVRat5YT,}Ltf{k-Z @ć+;_1( ~65&fNncג#tmQ0!f %uZVWİ\&u$q6TMU  [B]C5^OGMةĆkAn)x C`tqք#zRY† ,84^bom5$1-=Ne#2;mJ~j`eӅ!ODfֿ݈ͭѤ&4Y, Cʂ_ (Sqd^wx#IC:o QmQqzWפ voύEeP)pڀ"Ζ-@%o3QȻ$DR|gFB"i: hOG1kMmrY&gG\D;-jnjֹC,2.ƚޓC*$1.ONO~f4.Gdp]zDd:{󣕝 ԛ: M 1Gg^o]]#雏^Nѫ=%ti:#N.oAn}56sbscHF uj4>IK:ӊ,dc>ByQR`[)cY>Pՠ';W ,%H0Ex𸵞 ^D.FX4rVv8C^XN:U5uİh `v(]w4[I;[`֡7kz5RڅһpϏ~~0+rSmNi`bR$o[+f^kzAn'h¼d8mr IyiRfIib|$3K&$.i{[}H }]*Q:t_yNve!≇>t}e ¡ =hfP`@|yҦvyǓJv(rv=b0BCyLuz*+brRV"'jmk#+6hRX/IMUڕޤ ]%CKΟ Q-b1/*@r ZT)#u)aUC d؅ Vaz?~lä8'Ipv^gw̑`Mx Kҏג7;%? >ٝG&/: VcB N!cpz9D4lM%gOa +5:8⭝]ׅh.'^+&Jc)tTXgd^$04m3WQBaѽay ;u%w_NkDO`r:IQRNڷr]˾G":!~,ʐgjw ~E{s3`riL(3YRaWBXI3;j9GG)쀛W-ěx&]=Ί-{@>. !#-w,1~5WƬ=:boRaJ"]jR_L $7^0_RzӑC֭[*]ko 0ԋY<`14u+BOM:5.kI%h?J\`r6Nu 5ܴfjtrq2%_[Ԗ1ƲΒ$V0ha/{Y+z=ViD`qk !L$|]γ!jvZߑ);"!|J2^z͂z"ZPr1m!Ou,"DRNurG*o%g%]4nR;wa #X Pu,kى|jr\[QyE!Jғu&UvFQ"h>UV y%Lnųm Gz˾.+\Az]0g#oOzWӔp-F|M&W447R'eF/ִ(+J]aWTS2aa-˵!HK.ݖ5fzRb$9ޚ<R%wQ`o4%[:̍n+랡.R*\C[1S\C_%aҺᄍZ#=ϩ =')f"=d:M#>:Iӈ)Ⱃ/cJmSDLTe!Ξ7!i>cѽ&K8EKG{߸x@f''eq.f^c&vѓ/ _AfP7=k3g!*5g:eWxXHVTiI9mdjeIii_xKX]ɵyZaOOLc}4}Mj?׋9z^RW`cyxQD:1Yh Ghm7@"Ըm@9q]z3܉tM6+^Rr"|5'-sbfGυ}͙#VKulAL^L:_0\5)WU&ɡ"iI/[jFA]~_mѝPnu9n'ׇQ@
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1