CHAPTER 1 PENNSYLVANIA A KEY PLAYER When it comes to state pride Pennsylvanians have a lot to be proud of Pennsylvania has an amazing history and great places But when it comes to sports Pennsylvanians choose sides All the state’s major pro teams are in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia They are both tough working-class cities with an intense loyalty to their teams Pennsylvania’s nickname is the Keystone State A keystone is a wedge-shaped piece atop an arch Pittsburgh Pirates great Roberto Clemente has a bridge named for him near the home of the Pirates 5
It locks the other pieces of the arch in place Pennsylvania’s location and important role in building the United States earned it the nickname The Pennsylvania colony was founded in 1682 The king of England gave the land to Englishman William Penn even though the region had been home to various American Indian tribes for thousands of years Penn treated the native people fairly and had good relations with them unlike the leaders in many other North American colonies But as time went on Pennsylvania’s leaders treated American Indians just as poorly as the leaders of other colonies had It was Penn who also founded and named Pennsylvania’s capital city He called it Philadelphia In Greek the word philos means love and adelphos means brother This is where Philadelphia gets its nickname of the City 6
A statue of William Penn stands high atop Philadelphia City Hall of Brotherly Love It is also known simply as Philly By the 1770s Pennsylvania was at the center of the colonists fight for independence from Great Britain In 1776 colonial leaders met in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence Later on the leaders met there again to draft the first US Constitution 7
