Ahead of Pa.’s 344th birthday, House adopts Matzie’s Charter Day resolution
Highlights special significance of state’s ‘birth certificate’
Rep. Robert F. Matzie February 5, 2025 | 12:35 PM
HARRISBURG, Feb. 5 – With Pennsylvania’s 344th birthday approaching, the House today adopted state Rep. Rob Matzie’s resolution to mark that anniversary and remind Pennsylvanians of the special significance of the charter that serves as its birth certificate.
Matzie, who is chairman of the House majority caucus and sits on the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, said he introduced H.R. 35 – designating March 9, 2025, as “Charter Day” in Pennsylvania – to highlight the meaning underlying the 344-year-old document.
“The charter symbolizes freedom,” Matzie said. “Williams Penn’s goal in petitioning King Charles II for a land grant was to create a colony where people could worship freely, without the threat of religious persecution. The charter is the result of that effort and an important reminder that Pennsylvania’s birth is rooted in ideals of freedom and tolerance.”
Matzie said Charter Day also celebrates the early “Frame of Government” Penn drafted for the new colony, which incorporated democratic concepts such as freedom of worship, balance of powers and a check on the abuse of authority and would go on to inspire the framers of the U.S. Constitution.
Written on parchment using iron gall ink, the charter is stored in a high-security vault, where it is preserved under special conditions.