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Events on Tuesday 4 March 1681 1
1681Pennsylvania charteredCharles II grants William Penn a proprietary colony in AmericaKing Charles II of England issued a royal charter to William Penn on 4 March 1681, granting him a vast tract of land in North America as a proprietary colony. Penn intended the colony as a haven for Quakers and other persecuted religious groups, governed on principles of religious tolerance. The city of Philadelphia was founded the following year as its capital.