"Penn stood for both civil and religious liberty. The Quakers' battles among themselves and with the Church of England also broke down restrictions. Friends learned to accept limitations on their power and Anglicans came to accept a minority status. By the 1720s both denominations agreed to live with each other, to cooperate on certain issues, and to assert their differences in the context of a broader agreement on the function of religious values within the society. The British government, paranoid over Roman Catholics, but sympathetic to Anglican and Quaker pressures, also helped foster thepattern of Protestant freedoms by balancing the demandsof both groups. Finally, least important in the creation of toleration but of great ultimate significance in preserving such liberty, was the bewildering variety of religious sects and churches which populated eighteenth century Pennsylvania. Attracted by toleration and enthusiastic about freedom, the laity created churches which enforcedmoral standards, trumpeted distinctive doctrines and practices, and rejoiced in the conditions of civil and religious liberty." [from the author]
Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Volume 105, number 4 (October 1981), p. 419-451Lancaster History Library - Periodical Article905.748 HSP v.105
