The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the United States Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:
The obverse of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the fifth most populous of the 50 states of the United States. Pennsylvania lies west of the Delaware River in the Mid-Atlantic United States.
King Charles II of England granted William Penn a charter for a Colony of Pennsylvania in 1681. Philadelphia, the capital of the colony, soon rose to become the most populous city of British America. As Britain attempted to tighten its grip on its American colonies, many prominent Pennsylvanians called for greater independence for British America. The upper and lower counties of Pennsylvania (now known as Delaware) joined eleven other British colonies in declaring their autonomy with signing of the United States Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776.
The newly independent state chose the moniker "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" as a token of its prominence and autonomy in the Americas. The American states prevailed in the American War of Independence which concluded with the Treaty of Paris of 1783. The Constitution of the United States was written in convention at Philadelphia in 1787. The State of Delaware and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania became the first two states to ratify the new Constitution, thus Pennsylvania is ranked as the second state to join the Union.
General reference edit
- Names
- Common name: Pennsylvania
- Pronunciation: /ˌpɛnsəlˈveɪniə, -sɪlˈ-/ ⓘ
- Official name: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (also known as the state of Pennsylvania)
- Abbreviations and name codes
- Nicknames
- Liberty Bell State
- Independence State
- Keystone State[1]
- Quaker State
- Common name: Pennsylvania
- Adjectival: Pennsylvania
- Demonym: Pennsylvanian
Geography of Pennsylvania edit
- Pennsylvania is: a U.S. state, a federal state of the United States of America
- Location
- Northern hemisphere
- Western hemisphere
- Americas
- North America
- Anglo America
- Northern America
- United States of America
- Contiguous United States
- Eastern United States
- East Coast of the United States – though Pennsylvania does not include any actual coastline, it is generally considered to be part of the Eastern Seaboard region.
- Mid-Atlantic states
- Great Lakes Region
- Eastern United States
- Contiguous United States
- United States of America
- North America
- Americas
- Population of Pennsylvania: 12,702,379 (2010 U.S. Census[2])
- Area of Pennsylvania:
- Atlas of Pennsylvania
Places in Pennsylvania edit
- Historic places in Pennsylvania
- National Natural Landmarks in Pennsylvania
- State parks in Pennsylvania
Environment of Pennsylvania edit
- Climate of Pennsylvania
- Geology of Pennsylvania
- Protected areas in Pennsylvania
- Superfund sites in Pennsylvania
- Wildlife of Pennsylvania
- Fauna of Pennsylvania
Natural geographic features of Pennsylvania edit
Regions of Pennsylvania edit
Administrative divisions of Pennsylvania edit
Demography of Pennsylvania edit
Government and politics of Pennsylvania edit
- Form of government: U. S. state government
- United States congressional delegations from Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania State Capitol
- Elections in Pennsylvania
- Political party strength in Pennsylvania
Branches of the government of Pennsylvania edit
Executive branch of the government of Pennsylvania edit
- Governor of Pennsylvania
- State departments
Legislative branch of the government of Pennsylvania edit
Judicial branch of the government of Pennsylvania edit
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania
Law and order in Pennsylvania edit
- Cannabis in Pennsylvania
- Capital punishment in Pennsylvania
- Constitution of Pennsylvania
- Crime in Pennsylvania
- Gun laws in Pennsylvania
- Law enforcement in Pennsylvania
- Same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania
Military in Pennsylvania edit
Local government in Pennsylvania edit
History of Pennsylvania edit
History of Pennsylvania, by period edit
- Indigenous peoples
- Indentured servitude in Pennsylvania
- Netherlands colony of Nieuw-Nederland, 1624–1652
- History of slavery in Pennsylvania, 1639–1847
- Swedish colony of Nya Sverige, 1638–1655
- Netherlands province of Nieuw-Nederland, 1652–1664
- English Province of New-York, (1664–1681)–1688
- English Province of Pennsylvania, 1681–1707
- British Colony of Pennsylvania, 1707–1776
- French colony of la Louisiane, 1699–(1754–1763)
- French and Indian War, 1754–1763
- British Indian Reserve in western Pennsylvania, 1763–1783
- American Revolutionary War, April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783
- United States Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
- Philadelphia campaign, 1777–1778
- Battle of Germantown, October 4, 1777
- Siege of Fort Mifflin, September 26 to November 16, 1777
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania since 1776
- Whiskey Rebellion, 1790s
- Eighth state to ratify the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, signed July 9, 1778
- Second State to ratify the Constitution of the United States of America on December 11, 1787
- Erie Triangle purchased 1792
- War of 1812, June 18, 1812 – March 23, 1815
- Treaty of Ghent, December 24, 1814
- Mexican–American War, April 25, 1846 – February 2, 1848
- James Buchanan becomes 15th President of the United States on March 4, 1857
- American Civil War, April 12, 1861 – May 13, 1865
- Pennsylvania in the American Civil War, 1861–1865
- 47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
- Gettysburg Campaign, June 9 – July 14, 1863
- Battle of Gettysburg, July 1–3, 1863
- Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863
- Pennsylvania in the American Civil War, 1861–1865
- Whiskey Rebellion, 1790s
History of Pennsylvania, by region edit
By county edit
By municipality edit
- History of Erie
- History of Harrisburg
- History of the Townships of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
- History of Philadelphia
- History of Pittsburgh
- History of Williamsport
History of Pennsylvania, by subject edit
- History of the Pennsylvania State University
- History of rail transport in Philadelphia
- History of slavery in Pennsylvania
- History of veterinary medicine in Pennsylvania
- Jewish history in Pennsylvania
Culture of Pennsylvania edit
- Cuisine of Pennsylvania
- Museums in Pennsylvania
- Religion in Pennsylvania
- Scouting in Pennsylvania
- State symbols of Pennsylvania
The Arts in Pennsylvania edit
Sports in Pennsylvania edit
Economy and infrastructure of Pennsylvania edit
- Communications in Pennsylvania
- Allentown economy
- Energy in Pennsylvania
- Health care in Pennsylvania
- Transportation in Pennsylvania
- Airports in Pennsylvania
- Roads in Pennsylvania
Education in Pennsylvania edit
- Schools in Pennsylvania
- School districts in Pennsylvania
- Colleges and universities in Pennsylvania
- Cedar Crest College (1867)
- DeSales University (1964)
- Lafayette College (1826)
- Lehigh University (1865)
- Moravian College (1742)
- Muhlenberg College (1848)
- University of Pennsylvania (1740)
- University of Pittsburgh (1787)
- Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) (1854)
- Pennsylvania State University (1855)
- Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (1857)
- Temple University (1884)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Barry Popik, Smoky City, barrypopik.com website, March 27, 2005
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau State & County QuickFacts Pennsylvania". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
External links edit
Pennsylvania at Wikipedia's sister projects
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity
