William Penn
The founder of the colony of Pennsylvania, William Penn, was born in London, England, on October 14, 1644. He was the son of Sir William Penn, an admiral and landowner who had been knighted by King Charles II, and Margaret Jasper Vanderschuren, the daughter of a merchant. Penn studied at Christ Church College in Oxford but got expelled for criticizing the Church of England. After being expelled, his parents sent him to France where he studied theology, then studied the law when he returned to England in 1664. In his twenties he converted to the Quaker religion. He was put in jail many times for his opposition to the Church of England, and one time specifically for blasphemy in the Tower of London as a result of a work he had written. In 1681, he received a royal charter to form a new colony in America. He found this as a great opportunity to create a place that was peaceful for members of all religions. Penn had anticipated that Pennsylvania would be a profitable endeavor for his family and himself but despite Pennsylvania's rapid development and diversity, the colony never made a profit for Penn or his family. In effect, Penn later was put in jail in England for debt. When he passed in 1718, he was penniless.
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston. He was the 15th child out of the 17 his father, Josiah Franklin, had. Though he was doing well in school, Ben was taken out at 10 years old to work with his father making candles. He didn’t like this very much but when his father took him to work with his brother, James, at a print shop he fell in love. His brother was very tough on him and refused to publish any of Ben’s work. Ben secretly wrote anonymous articles that were published, but when James found out it was Ben, he was fired. He escaped to Philadelphia which ended up becoming his new home base for the rest of his life. After years of furthering his education and getting his works published, he was able to buy The Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper from a past boss, and was elected the official printer of Pennsylvania. In the 1740s, Franklin began expanding into entrepreneurship with invention of the Franklin stove, and furthermore, into scientific pursuits. The famous kite-and-key experiment was in 1752, following some of his theories on electricity that had been published in England the previous year. In 1775, Franklin was elected to the Second Continental Congress and as postmaster general for the colonies. The following year, he was one of five men to draft the Declaration of Independence. In addition, he was one of the thirteen men who drafted the Articles of Confederation. His self-education earned him honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, Oxford University in England, and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Benjamin Franklin died on April 17, 1790, in Philadelphia at the home of his daughter. His name and memory live on in a lot of places in the Greater Philadelphia area.
Betsy Ross
Most commonly known for making the first American flag, Betsy Ross was born Elizabeth Griscom in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 1, 1752. She was the eighth of seventeen children and attended Quaker schools to learn sewing and other crafts common in her day, just like her sisters had done. After Betsy finished her schooling, her father had her work at a local upholsterer at age 17. There, she met John Ross, an Anglican, and they fell in love fast. Marrying outside of one’s religion was strictly forbidden but that didn’t stop them. They got married in 1772 and immediately following that, Betsy was banned from her family and the meeting house that served as a place of worship for Quakers. Ultimately, the couple opened their own upholstery business, where Betsy's needlework skills were put to work. John was killed during militia duty at the Philadelphia waterfront in 1776 by a gunpowder explosion. Resulting in his passing, Betsy attained his property and kept up the upholstery business. She worked day and night making flags for Pennsylvania. She got married two more times, both leaving her as a widow again. Betsy died at the age of 84 on January 30, 1836 in Philadelphia. Fifty years after her passing, her grandson shared with the public the story of her making the first American Flag. Though there is no credible evidence to support it, legend says that it is indeed true.