The Quaker faith began in 1647 when George Fox (1624-1691) founded the church. George Fox, a weaver's son born in Leicestershire, England, based his religion upon four premises. The first premise is that Christ is always with us and is seated at the right hand of God. He is able to communicate to those who open their hearts to hear Him. Secondly, George believed that a genuine Christian is one in whom a changed life is visible. Thirdly, George believed that the church is a fellowship of people whose lives have been changed by Christ and in whose hearts, Christ lives. Lastly, George believed that a minister is one who serves and through whom others see Christ. He believed that divine revelation does not come from ordained ministers or a church but rather from the Christian within. This "inner light" was often accompanied by trembling or quaking, hence the name, Quaker. He saw no rituals in his religion and saw a more fully developed teaching of the adequacy in Christ. In the Quaker faith, there is a simplicity and a lack of formal worship such as is found in the Church of England. Fox, a profoundly charismatic visionary devoted his life to spreading the Quaker faith.

In the 1700's, Quakers began to teach that worship was through silent prayer rather than through preaching. Dress was simple, speech was Biblical; pleasure, music and art were forbidden. They were also opposed to war or battle of any sort, even to protect their own homes and families, which would lead to problems later in American history when the Quakers would refuse to fight Indians during the French-Indian War.

In 1656 Mary Fisher and Ann Austin, the first Quaker missionaries arrived in Boston only to be immediately arrested and sent to Barbados on the next departing ship. Only Rhode Island welcomed the Quaker friends and at one time half the population of Rhode Island was Quaker. Maryland also welcomed Friends and spokesmen for the Friends made deep inroads in Virginia.

In 1657, Quaker missionaries from England arrived in New Amsterdam and in 1657 citizens of Flushing drew up the Flushing Remonstance that guaranteed religious freedom in New Amsterdam.

In Massachussetts, Friends were heavily persecuted and branded with "H" for heretic. The death penalty was instituted for those Friends banished from Massachusetts who might return. Four Quakers were hanged in Boston: William Robinson, Marmaduke Stephenson, William Leddra and Mary Dyer.

In 1671, George Fox along with a dozen other Quaker missionaries came to America and traveled across the eastern seaboard establishing a strong base in the Carolinas.

Friends in England purchased East Jersey to serve as a refuge for those practicing the Quaker faith. Robert Barclay, a Scottish theologian served as governor of the colony.

In 1681, William Penn accepted the grant of Pennsylvania, as well as the territory of Delaware. Penn landed in 1682 aboard the ship "Welcome". He met with Indians under the great elm at Shackamason, an ancient meeting place of the tribes and here Penn purchased land from the Six Nations at a fair price and concluded an agreeable treaty, a treaty which was sworn to and was never broken. Penn gave the citizens of Pennsylvania religious freedom, equality and peace.

William Penn was born in London 24 Oct 1644, the son of Admiral Sir William Penn. London society was shocked when Penn began to associate with and was converted by Quakers. Using his wealth and status in society, Penn protected his Quaker friends. One of his Quaker friends was George Fox.

Pennsylvania was settled at first by English Quakers and Anglicans. In the early 1700's the Germans and the Scot-Irish migrated into Pennsylvania. The Scot-Irish would form about one fourth of the population of Pennsylvania by 1776.

Many of the Quakers were Irish and Welsh and settled outside Philadelphia along with the French Huguenots, Jewish, Dutch, Swedes and other groups.

Quakers held their first meeting at Upland (now Chester) in 1675 and migrated into Pennsylvania in large numbers. They were most numerous in the southeastern counties. Also in Pennsylvania were the Pennsylvania Germans who were primarily Lutheran and belonged to the Reformed churches. There were also: Mennonites, Amish, German Baptist Brethren or "Dunkers", Schwenkfelders and Moravians. Upon the arrival of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg in 1742, the Lutheran Church, established in 1643 by the Swedes on Tinicum Island, became the largest of the Protestant denominations in Pennsylvania. The church was expanded with the arrival of Michael Schlatter in 1746.

The first Catholic congregation in Pennsylvania was organized in 1720 in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania had the second largest group of Catholics in the colonies. With the Scot-Irish came the Presbyterian church, organized in Philadelphia in 1698. Methodism began with St.George's Church in Philadelphia in 1769. There was also a significant Jewish population in colonial Pennsylvania with the establishment of the Mikveh Israel congregation in Philadelphia in 1740.