No war here

[Sara S]

from delanceyplace.com:

William Penn's colony of Pennsylvania was the only colony in
the New World which did not have a militia. Penn felt no need for a militia, since
he alone among the colonizers put in place a system to provide justice to Indians
at parity with the justice provided to colonists. In fact, it was by his design
that the Indians were better-armed and militarily more competent than the colonists.
The result was that "of all the places one could live in the Atlantic world, Pennsylvania
was the one least likely to suffer the horrors of war." In no small part because
of this peace, Europeans flocked to Philadelphia causing it to quickly surpassed
Boston as the largest colonial city, and the population of Pennsylvania grew from
18,000 in 1700 to 120,000 by the end of 1750:
"Penn's extraordinary intention to deal with Indians fairly, generously, and - uniquely
- to refrain from coercion by arms or the threat of violence reflected his distinctive
combination of idealism and pragmatism. Without Indian cooperation, he had no hope
of acquiring enough territory to produce the capital he needed to support his 'holy
experiment.' Since he had begun selling lots to the First Purchasers in July 1681,
before a formal treaty had been made with the Indians, it was imperative that he
put Indian relations on a stable footing as soon as possible. Above all, he knew
that he had to keep the natives from misconstruing the intentions of the colonists
who would soon begin flooding into southeastern Pennsylvania. ...
"He assured them, he was 'not such a Man' as those who had [Indians] done harm;
rather, 'I desire to Winn and gain your Love & freindship by a kind, just and peaceable
life; and the People I send are of the same mind, & shall in all things behave themselv[e]s
accordingly; and if in any thing any shall offend you or your People, you shall
have full and Speedy Satisfaction for the same by an equall number of honest men
on both sides that by no means you may have just Occasion of being offended against
them.' ...
"As a kind of first installment on his promises, Penn had already set out
twenty conditions, or 'Concessions,' by which those who purchased property
from him were expected to abide. Five of these pertained to colonists' conduct
toward Indians, stressing equality of treatment and the protection of native interests.
All commercial transactions, including those between Indians and
planters, were to take place in the public market, where inspectors could certify
weights and measures to prevent fraud, so 'that the natives may not be
abused or provoked.' If any colonist should 'affront or wrong' an Indian, the
same penalties and laws would apply as if the affronted or wronged party had
been a planter. If on the other hand an Indian wronged a colonist, the injured
party had no right to take the law into his own hands; he could only make a complaint
to the governor or his deputy. The governor in turn would negotiate a settlement
'With the king of the said Indian, that all reasonable satisfaction
be made to the said injured planter.' Indians were to have the same rights 'to
the improvement of their ground and providing sustenance for their families'
as the planters. Most unusual of all was the provision Penn mentioned in his
letter to the Indians: disputes between natives and colonists were to be settled
by arbitration - 'ended,' as he put it, 'by twelve men, that is, by six planters
and six natives; that so we may live friendly together and, as much as in us lies,
prevent all occasions of heart burnings and mischiefs.'
"No other colonial proprietor in America took so much care to establish
standards for the fair treatment of natives, but of course no other proprietor
had tried to create a colony without a militia, either. Penn's province, by design,
would be a place in which the Indians were better-armed and militarily more competent
than the colonists. In such a circumstance, equality, equity, and justice formed
the only reasonable, prudent basis for Anglo-Indian relations."
Author: Fred Anderson and Andrew Clayton
Title: The Dominion of War
Publisher: Penguin
Date: Copyright 2005 by Fred Anderson and Andrew Clayton
Pages: 66-68
The Dominion of War: Empire and Liberty in North America, 1500-2000
by Fred Anderson by Penguin (Non-Classics)
Paperback