Fishtown in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Great Treaty
Penn Treaty Park
Photographed By Don Morfe, May 16, 2015
1. The Great Treaty Marker
Inscription.
The Great Treaty. Penn Treaty Park. There has been much debate over the exact details of Penn’s dealing with the Indians of the Delaware River Valley. It is written that Penn dealt fairly with all the Indians and settlers that he encountered. It is true that the Great Treaty, if it actually did occur, was one of many treaties that Penn made with the Indians. Making treaties with area Indians was a practice that went on in other settlements as well. However, Penn’s treatment of the Indians was consistently fair and equal. This theme of equality was noticed in Europe and created a new interest in the Colonies and great respect for Penn. Voltaire even spoke of the treaty as one that was “never sworn to and never broken”. It also provided the inspiration for a number of artistic representations of the treaty, the most famous being the one done by Benjamin West. Today we can see the one artifact of Penn’s amity-The wampum belt given to Penn by the Indians-on display at The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
There has been much debate over the exact details of Penn’s dealing with the Indians of the Delaware River Valley. It is written that Penn dealt fairly with all the Indians and settlers that he encountered. It is true that the Great Treaty, if it actually did occur, was one of many treaties that Penn made with the Indians. Making treaties with area Indians was a practice that went on in other settlements as well. However, Penn’s treatment of the Indians was consistently fair and equal. This theme of equality was noticed in Europe and created a new interest in the Colonies and great respect for Penn. Voltaire even spoke of the treaty as one that was “never sworn to and never broken”. It also provided the inspiration for a number of artistic representations of the treaty, the most famous being the one done by Benjamin West. Today we can see the one artifact of Penn’s amity-The wampum belt given to Penn by the Indians-on display at The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Location. 39° 58.007′ N, 75° 7.72′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Fishtown. Marker is on
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North Beach Street. The marker is at the base of the William Penn statue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1301 N Beach St, Philadelphia PA 19125, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 19, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 281 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on May 19, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
