Adapted Excerpt: Charter of Privileges (1701)

I, William Penn, Proprietor and Governor of Pennsylvania, grant certain rights and freedoms to all freemen, farmers, and residents of this colony. A General Assembly will be elected each year by the freemen to help govern Pennsylvania. This assembly will include four representatives from each county and should be made up of individuals known for their good character, wisdom, and ability. The assembly will have the power to choose its own officers, decide who can be a member, appoint committees, and write bills to become laws. The laws of Pennsylvania will be created by the governor with the approval of the freemen in the General Assembly, then confirmed by the governor and officially recorded in Philadelphia.