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Past Event

William Penn and the Lenape

August 1, 2022, 1:00pm to 2:30pm - Peggy Bancroft Hall

Historian Douglas Miller will discuss the Pennsylvania colony and William Penn’s part in it. “It would have been a very different story if he had been dealing with a different Native group,” said Miller. A strong, proud and, at times, fierce people, the Lenape were skillful negotiators whose egalitarian and democratic sociopolitical structure were the forerunners of the ideals of personal and religious freedom we associate with Penn’s colony.

The 17th century was rife with conflict between Native people and European colonists. Doug Miller will explore another story—a confluence of cultures rather than a conflict—and show how Pennsylvania’s first people were a key component in William Penn’s success.  

Doug Miller is the site administrator of Pennsbury Manor, the reconstructed home of William Penn on the Delaware. He has over 25 years of experience as a museum director having served as Director at Hope Lodge, Graeme Park, Washington Crossing Historic Park, and Curtin Village.