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Building Serverless Architectures Learn The Intricacies and Nuances of Building Efficient Serverless Architectures First Published Edition Gurturk

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3K views62 pages

Building Serverless Architectures Learn The Intricacies and Nuances of Building Efficient Serverless Architectures First Published Edition Gurturk

Serverless

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shpresshyon
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Building Serverless Architectures

Learn the intricacies and nuances of building efficient serverless


architectures
Cagatay Gurturk

BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI
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Building Serverless
Architectures

Copyright © 2017 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a


retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the
prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief
quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the
accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in
this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the
author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held
liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly
by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all


of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use
of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this
information.

First published: July 2017

Production reference: 1140717


Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
Livery Place
35 Livery Street
Birmingham
B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-78712-919-1

www.packtpub.com
Credits

Author Copy Editor

Cagatay Gurturk Zainab Bootwala

Reviewer Project Coordinator

Martin Lindenburg Vaidehi Sawant

Commissioning Editor Proofreader

Aaron Lazar Safis Editing

Acquisition Editor Indexer


Chaitanya Nair Aishwarya Gangawane

Content Development Editor Production Coordinator

Siddhi Chavan Nilesh Mohite

Technical Editor

Dhiraj Chandanshive
About the Author
Cagatay Gurturk is a software engineer, internet enterpreneur, and cloud
enthusiast.

After finishing his studies at the Istanbul Technical University, he continued


his education to get a master's degree in computer engineering at Bahcesehir
University. In 2004, in his freshman year at the college, he co-founded
Instela, which quickly became one of the most well-known internet platforms
in Turkey, with millions of visitors per month. Being the technical co-founder
of Instela, he gained experience of running web platforms at scale and was
also introduced to the world of cloud computing.

After long years as an internet enterpreneur in Istanbul and Barcelona, he


continued his career in different companies, where he delivered software
running on cloud infrastructures, especially on AWS. He authored some open
source projects related to AWS as well.

He currently works at eBay as a software development manager, and he is


also a certified AWS Solutions Architect.

I would like to express my gratitude to the many people who helped and
supported me throughout this book, and to all those who read, wrote,
offered comments, and assisted me in the editing, proofreading, and
designing of this book.

I would like to thank Martin Lindenburg for reviewing every line of this
book and bringing his German perfectionism.

I would like to thank Stefano Langenbacher for encouraging me to work on


AWS and his belief in serverless computing.
I would like to thank Kaja for all the support she provided me patiently.

And, finally, I would like to thank everyone who motivated me for this
work.
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About the Reviewer
Martin Lindenburg is a software engineer born in 1982. He grew up in a
rural region, about 100 km north of Berlin. He developed his interest in
computers and technology at a young age with his brother's Commodore64.
Later, he invested all his pocket money to afford his first own 386 computer,
where he developed his first programs in Basic and Turbo Pascal to
visualize and solve his math homework. This interest evolved, and, a few
years later, he finally ended up studying computer engineering in Berlin.

He is now working for more than ten years as a software engineer, and he has
worked for companies in the telecommunication group, Deutsche Telekom
AG, the financial portal, Wallstreet-Online AG, and the advertisement and
affiliate network, ADCELL. He collected experiences from the creation of
standalone applications over scalable dynamic webpages with hundreds of
users logging in up to millions of daily page views and tracking events.

Currently, he works as a senior software engineer at Home24 and is


essentially involved in the integration of serverless architectures and
microservices with AWS.

At the same time, he is actively contributing to the open source framework


serverless.com and creating open source serverless-plugins.

Thanks to Cagatay Gurturk for letting me review his book and a special
thanks to my wife, Maria, and my children, Samuel and Simon, for their
patience in the evenings when I had to review new chapters.
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Table of Contents
Preface
What this book covers
What you need for this book
Who this book is for
Conventions
Reader feedback
Customer support
Downloading the example code
Errata
Piracy
Questions
1. Getting Started with Serverless
Preparing the environment
Installing AWS CLI
Prerequisites
Gradle
Creating the project
Implementing the Lambda Dependency
Hello Lambda!
Deploying to the Cloud
Summary
Bibliography
2. Infrastructure as a Code
Uploading the artifacts to Cloud
Infrastructure as Code with CloudFormation
Deploying our first Lambda with CloudFormation
Summary
3. Hello Internet
Setting up API Gateway
Creating the API
Creating the resource
Creating the method
Configuring Lambda permissions
Deploying the API
Setting up the CloudFront CDN distribution
Setting up the custom domain
Creating an SSL certificate
Authenticating API calls
Implementing basic authorization
Summary
4. Applying Enterprise Patterns
Creating User Service
Configuring Guice
Writing the Lambda Handler class with injected dependency
Adding logging
Service dependencies
Summary
5. Persisting Data
Introduction to DynamoDB
Creating the first table
Creating the second table for access tokens
Configuring the DynamoDB data mapper
Configuring environment variables for Lambda
User registration
Creating user registration Lambda
Creating the Lambda and API Gateway for User Registration
Summary
6. Building Supporting Services
Writing the foundation of a Lambda function
Letting users upload to S3
Modifying the Lambda function to respond to an S3 event
Configuring CloudFront to serve resized images
Excercise
Sending emails via SES
Configuring SES
Firing an SNS notification upon user registration
Consuming the SNS message and sending emails
Integrating a messaging queue
Summary
7. Searching Data
Creating the search domain
Uploading test data
Creating the suggester
Creating the API endpoint for suggestions
Lambda function for updating search data
Modifying the welcome mail sender Lambda
Creating the Lambda function to update CloudSearch
Creating and configuring the Lambda function with CloudFormat
ion
Summary
8. Monitoring, Logging, and Security
Setting up a Route53 health check
Starting off with the setup
Configuring health checks for email notifications
Enabling SMS notifications for health checks
Bringing health check to healthy mode
Mastering CloudWatch alarms
Configuring advanced CloudWatch alarms
Wrapping everything up in CloudFormation
Creating CloudWatch metrics from application logs
Running Lambda functions in VPC
Creating a VPC
Adding private subnets
Handling inbound and outbound traffic
Creating a Security Group
Summary
9. Lambda Framework
Getting to know Lambda Framework
Summary
Preface
Over the past few years, all kind of companies, ranging from start-ups to
giant enterprises, have started their move to public cloud providers in order
to save their costs and reduce the operational effort needed to keep their
shops open. While this movement was applied with just a lift and shift
strategy, keeping their software architecture the same and only changing
where they are hosting it, some companies opted for a mindset change,
modifying their software to take advantage of native cloud services other
than virtual machines, changing their team structures, and adopting DevOps
practices. This opened the door to many changes in the software industry, and
it is definitely possible to say that the world after the introduction of cloud
computing is not the same as before.

Starting with AWS Lambda's launch in 2014, a new approach to software


development came on the scene. Lambda designed to run code pieces
responding to external or internal cloud events, without needing to set up any
infrastructure upfront, and it brought a real, managed, and pay-per-go
infrastructure model. In a short time, the "serverless computing" term was
coined, and the same model was adopted by Microsoft, Google, and even
IBM in an open source fashion. With the Lambda functions, it is now even
possible to craft a complex software system consisting of many independent
micro-functions that will run only when they are needed, without needing to
maintain individual servers. The Lambda functions can now support a large
number of native cloud services, which removes the need of building custom
solutions for common needs, and it not only reduces the infrastructure's
running and maintenance costs, but also software development costs.

The focus of this book is to design serverless architectures, and weigh the
advantages and disadvantages of this approach, along with a few decision
factors to consider. You will learn how to design a serverless application,
get to know the key points of services that serverless applications are based
on, and known issues and solutions. In this book, you will not only learn the
AWS Lambda functions, but you will also see how to use the Lambda
functions to glue other AWS services together. You will learn how easy it is
to build a scalable software system is, taking a CRUD application as an
example.

The book addresses key challenges, such as how to slice out the core
functionality of the software to be distributed in different cloud services and
cloud functions. It covers the basic and advanced usage of these services,
testing and securing the serverless software, automating deployment, and
more.

Throughout this book, we will only use the Java programming language, and
we will build a homegrown deployment system to easily deploy our
software.

This book does not intend to cover all the details of the AWS ecosystem, but I
believe it will perfectly show you the path through the serverless computing
world.
What this book covers
Chapter 1,Getting Started With Serverless, introduces you to serverless
computing and Lambda functions, sets up the AWS account and environment,
and builds the base libraries.

Chapter 2,Infrastructure as a Code, teaches you about CloudFormation to


define the infrastructure as a code and has the first Lambda function up and
running.

Chapter 3,
Hello Internet, exposes the Lambda function to the internet via the
AWS API Gateway.

Chapter 4,
Applying Enterprise Patterns, implements and configures the
dependency injection pattern for the Lambda function.

Chapter 5, Persisting Data, uses DynamoDB to persist application data in a


highly scalable way.

Chapter 6,Building Supporting Services, leverages the AWS services to


enable the Lambda functions to pass messages to each other.

Chapter 7, Searching Data, uses CloudSearch to build a fully managed search


infrastructure, integrating Lambda functions to update the search index.

Chapter 8,Monitoring, Logging, and Security, sets up automated health


checks, alarms, and triggers responding to failures, and operating Lambda in
secured network environments.

Appendix,
Lambada Framework, migrates your JAX-RS application to AWS
Lambda and API Gateway with minimal effort.
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What you need for this book
To run all the code in this book, you only need to have the Java Development
Kit installed on your machine. You will have to create an AWS account to
apply the steps. AWS offers a free tier for new customers that will cover
most of the costs of running examples in the book. On the other hand, some
services such as CloudSearch and VPC NAT Gateways are not covered by a
free tier. Make sure that you visit the pricing documentation of each service
used in the book to avoid unnecessary costs.
Who this book is for
This book is for developers and software architects who are interested in
designing their software in serverless environments. Since the programming
language used in this book is Java, it is preferred that readers are familiar
with the basics of Java and the general conventions used in the Java world.
Conventions
In this book, you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between
different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an
explanation of their meaning.

Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file
extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are
shown as follows: "We can start by adding the next snippet to the
build.gradle file."

A block of code is set as follows:

cloudFormation {
capabilityIam true
templateFile project.file('cloudformation.template')
templateBucket deploymentBucketName
templateKeyPrefix "cfn-templates"
stackName "serverlessbook"
}

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

$ touch cloudformation.template

New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on
the screen, for example, in menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this:
"In order to download new modules, we will go to Files | Settings | Project
Name | Project Interpreter."

Warnings or important notes appear like this.

Tips and tricks appear like this.


Reader feedback
Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think
about this book-what you liked or disliked. Reader feedback is important for
us as it helps us develop titles that you will really get the most out of. To
send us general feedback, simply e-mail [email protected], and mention
the book's title in the subject of your message. If there is a topic that you have
expertise in and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book,
see our author guide at www.packtpub.com/authors.
Customer support
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Spanish explorers especially, in their insatiable thirst for
gold, had even robbed them of all the precious metals
and pearls they had and endeavored by the most
shameful cruelty to extort from them knowledge of the
location where they found the gold of which their
ornaments were made. If they offered the slightest
resistance or took up arms to defend themselves or
regain their liberty, they were hunted like wild beasts by
bloodhounds trained for that purpose, or fell in heaps
before the murderous bullets against which their arrows
were of no avail. Even the Puritan settlers of New
England, who should have practised the Christian
virtues of justice and humanity, were guilty of many acts
of cruelty and treachery toward the red men, with
whom they were perpetually at warfare in consequence.

Penn hoped, by the use of gentler methods, to win the


confidence of the Indians, who must have already
discovered from the New Jersey settlers that all white
men were by no means like those with whom they had
first come in contact. It was necessary, in fact, if his
colony were to enjoy permanent peace and security,
and in spite of the ridicule which such humane ideas
was likely to evoke, Markham was charged with the
strictest instructions in this regard. He was a bold and
determined man, devoted to his kinsman Penn, the
wisdom and purity of whose ideas he fully appreciated
in spite of his soldierly training. On his arrival in
Pennsylvania he lost no time in concluding a treaty with
the chiefs or sachems of the principal tribes, conveying
to Penn for a fixed sum all lands claimed by them with
the solemn assurance in his name that no settler should
ever molest or injure them. The next two ships which
came over from England brought three agents
authorized to make further treaties of peace and
friendship, thus strengthening the work begun by
Markham, and also an address written by Penn himself
to be read to the Indians, expressing it as his earnest
wish “by their favor and consent, so to govern the land
that they might always live together as friends and
allies.”

Markham was less fortunate, however, in his 66


negotiations with Lord Baltimore concerning the
doubtful boundary lines, which, if not definitely fixed,
were likely to prove a source of much contention. The
existence of a Quaker colony adjoining his own province
was by no means pleasing to the Catholic nobleman,
who, if left to himself, would have done all in his power
to prevent its foundation. The matter was only settled
by the King’s personal interference in Penn’s behalf, and
then only a temporary decision was arrived at, the Duke
of York’s influence having finally to be brought to bear
before everything could be arranged satisfactorily for
the future prosperity of the new State. Pennsylvania, as
already mentioned, had but one direct outlet to the
Atlantic Ocean. Should this be cut off or obstructed at
any time by enemies, it would be ruinous to the trade of
the colony. Penn therefore determined to acquire if
possible a strip of land forming the west shore of
Delaware Bay on the peninsula extending between
Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, the possession of
which was indispensable for the protection of
Pennsylvania’s trading vessels. After much negotiation
this was accomplished with the Duke of York’s aid and
the sovereign rights to this piece of coast granted to
Penn and his heirs forever. This removed the last
obstacle to his undisputed possession of the new
territory and its successful development, and he was
now free to cross the Atlantic and assume the
government in person.
Just at this time, however, a great misfortune befell him 67
in the sudden death of his mother, that tender guardian
of his childhood, friend and mediator of his troubled
youth, and devoted sharer of the hopes and plans of his
manhood, whose support and sympathy had never
failed him. So overwhelmed with grief was he by this
loss that for a time his health was seriously affected and
it was many weeks before he recovered his peace of
mind. This sad event also added to Penn’s difficulties.
Being unwilling to take his wife and children with him on
this first voyage, he had hoped to leave them under his
mother’s wise and experienced guardianship, in which
case he could have parted from them with good heart,
feeling sure that all would be well during his absence.
This was now no longer possible, however, and another
anxiety was added to his load.

In these days of swift and luxuriously appointed 68


steamships, when the voyage from Europe to America is
so quickly and comfortably made, it seems strange to
think of regarding it with so much anxiety and
apprehension; but in Penn’s time steamships were
unknown and travellers had to depend on clumsy sailing
vessels, entirely at the mercy of the winds, while the
passage, now made easily in from five to seven days,
then required at least six weeks, and sometimes, with
contrary winds, double that. And aside from the dangers
of such a sea voyage, what unknown experiences
awaited them in that distant land, where homes must
be hewed out from the wilderness, where privation and
hardships of every sort must be endured, where death
indeed by Indian tomahawk or knife was possible at any
moment! Under these circumstances even so brave and
resolute a man as William Penn might well feel anxiety
over such a voyage and its outcome. For a time he did
think of taking with him the wife and children from
whom he found it so hard to part, that he might watch
over them himself; but the giant task awaiting him
beyond the sea claimed all his mind and strength and
he feared the care of a family at such a time might
defeat the whole purpose of his journey, to say nothing
of his dread of exposing them to the dangers and
uncertainties of a life of which he had heard more than
enough from those who had already experienced it. But
Penn had firm faith in God and in the righteousness of a
cause which aimed not at personal gain but the bodily
and spiritual welfare of thousands, and which if it
succeeded must result in the creation of a veritable
earthly Paradise. He therefore did all that lay in his
power to further it and left the issue in the hands of
Providence.

Before leaving he made a sort of testament containing 69


his parting instruction’s to his dear ones, to be kept ever
before their eyes. In this he laid particular stress on the
proper education of his children, who, if all went well,
would one day be called to govern the State of
Pennsylvania, and charged his wife to live as
economically as possible in other respects, but to spare
nothing to this end. The two sons, Springett and
William, were to be thoroughly grounded in all branches
of knowledge necessary to their future position,
especially in agriculture, shipbuilding, surveying, and
navigation. The only daughter, Letty or Letitia, was to
receive also a suitable training in all domestic affairs.
Above all, they were to be taught piety and the fear of
God and to strive with all their strength to attain these
virtues. “Let your hearts be righteous before the Lord
and put your trust in Him,” he concluded; “then no one
will have power to harm or injure you.”
Autumn was already approaching before the Welcome, 70
which was to carry Penn across the ocean, was ready to
set sail. It was a fine vessel of three hundred tons and
larger than most ships crossing the Atlantic in those
days, but even its capacity was taxed to the utmost, for
more than a hundred colonists, mostly of the wealthier
class, were eager to make the voyage with the owner of
the new province, and each had to carry sufficient
provisions to last possibly for twelve or fourteen weeks.
Even then many who had been accustomed to a life of
ease and luxury were forced to content themselves with
scanty rations lest the supply give out. The quantity of
luggage of all sorts required by so many persons was
also no small matter, although no one was allowed to
carry any material for house fittings, such as doors or
windows, but Penn himself, who also took with him a
horse. The hold of the ship was full and even the deck
lined with chests and boxes when at last, on the first of
September, 1682, the Welcome was ready to start on
her journey. As soon as Penn had come on board after
parting with his family, the anchor was lifted and the
good ship sailed away from Deal, followed by the
prayers and benedictions of thousands.

It was already late in the season and a dangerous, 71


trying winter voyage was before them, should the
passage prove a long one. The winds were fair,
however, and all promised well, when the alarming
discovery was made that an unmarked and unwelcome
guest was on board; namely, the smallpox, one of the
worst diseases that could have broken out, since on a
crowded vessel it was impossible to prevent infection by
isolating the patients. At first the epidemic seemed so
mild it was not thought necessary to turn back, but it
gradually grew more and more malignant and raged to
such an extent that for three weeks deaths were of daily
occurrence and more than half of the ship’s company
were swept away. There was no physician of any kind
on board, but Penn labored heroically to relieve the
sufferers, placing all his supplies at their disposal,
watching by their bedsides, and endeavoring to banish
by the word of God the deadly fear that accompanies
contagious diseases. But it was of no avail. Day after
day death continued to claim its toll. After the horrors of
such an experience, it may be imagined with what joy
and rapture the first sight of the shores of America was
hailed by those who had survived that terrible nine
weeks’ voyage.

72
Chapter VI
Penn’s Arrival—The Founding of Philadelphia—First General
Assembly—Building of the “Blue Anchor”—The First School
and Printing Press

On the twenty-seventh of October the Welcome cast


anchor before Newcastle, a small village on the strip of
land granted to Penn by the Duke of York. News of the
arrival of the vessel quickly spread and the entire
population, young and old, regardless of nationality,
flocked to welcome the long-expected governor. English,
Scotch, and Irish stood side by side with the stolid
German, the clumsy Hollander, and the fair-haired
Swede, all eager to behold at last the man in whose
hands lay the moulding of their future. The native
children of the wilderness in their strange dress, with
high fringed moccasins, an eagle or heron’s feather
thrust through the head band, bow in hand, a quiver of
feathered arrows fastened to the shoulder, also flocked
to meet him. Who can say which gazed with keener
interest on the approaching ship flying a great English
flag from her masthead, the white men, who had some
idea of what to expect from the newcomer, or the
redskins, who in spite of their apparently calm
indifference must have been inwardly consumed with
curiosity to see what sort of man it was in whose name
and by whose orders they had met with treatment so
different from any that had hitherto been accorded
them by white men. Certainly nothing but good-will
could have been read in the noble features and the
earnest, kindly gaze of the dignified-looking man who
now disembarked from the vessel, distinguished only
from his companions by the broad blue scarf he wore.
As he stepped ashore on the landing stage and received
the greetings of his cousin, Markham, a deafening shout
burst from the assembled throng. Deeply moved, Penn
bowed in acknowledgment of the tribute, and through
the tears that glittered in his eyes shone the resolve to
merit the confidence so spontaneously expressed.

The following day, after he had somewhat recovered 73


from the long and trying voyage, a meeting of the
people was held in the town-hall and the legal
documents pertaining to the transfer of the tract were
read aloud, after which a deputy of the Duke of York
handed to Penn, in the name of his master, a flask of
water and a small basketful of earth in token that the
land had been actually delivered over to him. The new
owner then arose and in his deep rich voice addressed
the assembly, which listened in breathless silence to his
words. He told how from early youth it had been his
dream to found somewhere a free State to be governed
by the people, where full liberty of conscience could be
enjoyed and the Christian virtues flourish. He explained
the principles according to which he had drawn up the
constitution for Pennsylvania, and promised that the
same laws should be followed in the administration of
this additional territory which had been granted to him,
assuring the people that the chief power should be
exercised by himself only until the new constitution
could be put into force, during which time he would
endeavor to wield it to the best of his ability for the
public good. Lastly he retained all existing officials in
their positions as proof that he harbored no prejudices
and was disposed to deal fairly in all particulars.
When he had finished speaking a rousing cheer testified 74
to the approval of his audience and he was unanimously
urged to retain the governorship of the new territory,
making it a part of Pennsylvania. This he promised to
take into consideration, leaving the matter to be decided
at the next assembly, which was to be held at Upland, a
settlement made by the Swedes in Delaware, and up to
this time the most important town in that region. This
was now Penn’s destination, and as he sailed up the
Delaware River his heart must have thrilled with delight
at the fresh beauties revealed by each curve of the
winding stream, until at last the settlement was reached
and he stepped ashore on his own dominions, his
Pennsylvania. The spot where Penn first landed is still
shown, marked by a solitary pine tree.

Here, too, his arrival was hailed with general rejoicing. 75


Those who had preceded him to America with Markham
and done all in their power to carry out his plans looked
anxiously for his coming to better their situation, which
truly was in need of improvement. They had been
received in the most friendly way, it is true, by the
Swedish settlers, who had given them all the assistance
possible, but their hospitality was unable to afford
shelter for all. A few, whose means permitted, had
managed to bring over with them enough lumber to
build a small house at once, but the majority were
forced to live in tents or huts made from clay and the
branches of trees, neither of which offered much
protection against the severe weather of the winter
months. Some had even made use of the caves
hollowed out from the high banks of the Delaware by
the Indians in former times or dug new ones for
themselves, finding them a better shelter than any other
available. It was in one of these caves that the first birth
in the settlement occurred, and the child, who was
named John Key, received from Penn the gift of a
building site in the new town he had planned.

His first care was to establish a permanent location for 76


the colonists who had come over with him before they
should scatter in search of homes, as the previous ones
had done, regardless of any definite plan. Markham was
in favor of using Upland, or Chester as Penn now called
it, as the nucleus of the future city. But Penn had made
a better choice, in which he was supported by Thomas
Holme, an experienced surveyor whom he had sent out
from England and who had already thoroughly explored
the surrounding country. A more favorable spot for the
location of a great commercial centre could scarcely
have been found than the one thus selected. It was at
the junction of the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers,
where the high banks of the latter ensured a safe
harbor, while near by Holme had discovered quarries
containing an inexhaustible supply of the finest building
stone, which would make the construction of houses a
comparatively simple matter. Penn lost no time in
purchasing this land from the three Swedes to whom it
belonged and set to work at once with the assistance of
Thomas Holme to draw up plans for laying out the new
city, which was to receive the name of Philadelphia,
signifying “brotherly love.” This being the ruling principle
on which his State was founded, he wished it to attract
thither all who had suffered so bitterly from the lack of
brotherly love in religious matters. Before a single one
of the trees that covered the spot was felled, before a
single foundation stone was laid, the plan of the whole
city was already clear in Penn’s mind and the
enterprising Holme began at once to lay out its streets
and public squares. An additional tract of about two
square miles was also purchased, so that these might
be of ample width and size to afford the future
inhabitants plenty of space and air, while the building
lots were to be large enough to permit every house to
be surrounded by a garden, thus giving the city the
appearance, as Penn expressed it, of a green country
village.

His next act was to summon a general assembly of the 77


people, at which were also present delegates from
those settlements on Delaware Bay which were anxious
to join Penn’s Commonwealth, a desire which was
granted, the assembly unanimously agreeing to the
union of the two territories. The constitution drawn up
by Penn was accepted almost without a change, and to
the forty provisional laws were added twenty-one more,
made necessary by the special requirements of the new
State. In three days the whole work of legislation was
completed, a proof of the unanimity of opinion that
existed among these enthusiasts drawn thither by the
same desire, that of finding an asylum where they could
live undisturbed in the enjoyment of their religious
convictions. Once this blessing was secured, they
willingly submitted to laws and regulations that may not
have been altogether in accordance with their own
ideas, as indeed could scarcely have been expected
among people of so many different nationalities and
traditions. This matter settled, Penn now made a series
of visits to his neighbors the governors of New York,
Maryland, and New Jersey, hoping by a personal
interview with Lord Baltimore to arrive at some
settlement of the troublesome boundary question, but
failing in this he returned to his own colony, where there
was abundance of work for him.

After Penn’s departure from England, hundreds who had 78


hitherto hesitated decided at once to follow him. During
the Spring of 1683 twenty-three ships came sailing up
the Delaware River, filled with colonists for whom it was
necessary to provide quarters that they might lose no
time in making a home for themselves while the
favorable season lasted. This task was made somewhat
easier now, as the indefatigable Holme had already
explored the whole State and divided it into counties. In
order that all might have an equal chance, Penn had the
land sold at public auction. Prices were absurdly low,
averaging threepence an acre, with an additional rental
of one shilling on every hundred acres, which was to
form a sort of State revenue for the governor. When it is
remembered that Penn had not only paid the English
government for the land originally, even though a
comparatively small sum, but had also bought it again
from the Indians, whose right of possession seemed to
him far more well founded than that of the English
crown, this rental seems a poor compensation, and he
can hardly be blamed for afterward reserving a
considerable estate for himself and his children,
especially as he also made a handsome provision both
for the Duke of York and for his friend and co-worker
George Fox. The colonists now found themselves in the
midst of stirring times, especially in the region of the
new town, Philadelphia. Alloted building sites were
cleared of trees and all who could work were pressed
into service to secure as soon as possible a better
shelter against the weather than was afforded by the
tents or temporary huts already erected. Even delicate
women unused to manual labor of any kind helped their
fathers or husbands in the fields as they could, cooked,
carried wood and water, and cared for the cows they
had brought with them from England, some even
sawing wood or carrying mortar for building. If strength
or courage failed, it was restored and hearts and hands
again strengthened by the singing of some hymn and by
the remembrance of the inestimable blessing which was
theirs as a reward of their labors and sacrifices.

The first building completed was a block-house twelve 79


feet wide and twenty-two feet long, called the “Blue
Anchor” and forced to serve a variety of purposes. It
was used as a general place of business, and being on
the bank of the river, formed a landing place for vessels,
as well as a tavern. Later it was also used for a post-
house, for Penn, realizing the necessity of some regular
means of communication between Philadelphia and the
outlying settlements to the west, soon established a
messenger post service by which news could be sent
and received once a week. Travellers could also be
provided with horses if desired. Few availed themselves
of this service at first, it is true, for the rates were very
high; the delivery of a letter from Philadelphia to
Trenton Falls in New Jersey, for example, costing
threepence, and ninepence to Baltimore, Maryland. The
“Blue Anchor” soon had companions, however. In the
course of a few months as many as eighty houses had
been built and a regular trade gradually developed.
Merchants set up shops supplied with merchandise such
as was constantly arriving by vessel from England.
Trained artisans were now available to do the work that
every man had been hitherto obliged to perform for
himself as best he could. The husbandman betook
himself to the hoe and plough wherever there was a
clearing large enough to use them and won such rich
harvests from the virgin soil that it soon became no
longer necessary to bring grain from abroad.

The interiors of the houses were quite as rude and 80


rough as the outsides. Once sure of a sound roof to
cover them, the settlers were content with only the
barest necessities in the way of household furniture,
whatever luxuries and comforts they may have been
accustomed to in the past. Costly furnishings would
have formed indeed a strange contrast to the rough
bark-covered logs that constituted the walls, and the
covering of lime and moss that served as hangings, or
the hard-packed clay that took the place of boards for
flooring. A table, a bench or two, a bed, all hewed by
hand with an axe and innocent of saw or plane, besides
a few necessary cooking utensils,—these sufficed for the
needs of the hard-working settlers, who only sought the
shelter of a house when night or stormy weather made
work without impossible and the axe and plough must
needs be laid aside. Not until the original block-houses
began to be replaced by stone buildings was any
thought given to interior convenience, but as soon as it
became possible to employ the services of skilled
workmen the question of comfort and even elegance
began to be more considered. Nor was this long in
coming, for in less than a year from the time when Penn
first landed at Newcastle there were more than a
hundred stone houses erected in Philadelphia, and two
years later the number had increased to six hundred.
Penn could with truth assure his English friends that his
American colony was the largest ever founded on
private credit, and this in no spirit of undue pride or
self-applause. “In seven years,” he writes, “with the help
of God and of my noble companions, I will show you a
province that shall rival our neighbors’ growth of forty
years.” Nor did he leave any stone unturned on his part
to make good this prophecy.

One of his chief desires was to provide some means for 81


the education of the colonists’ children that they might
not grow up rude and ignorant—a state of things most
undesirable among a people who were to govern
themselves. This was no easy matter, for the hard-
working settler, struggling to wrest a home from the
wilderness, needed the help of his children as soon as
they were old enough to be of any use. He himself was
little disposed after the day’s labors to devote the
evenings to teaching his children, even did his own
education warrant it, nor could he spare the time to
send them to a school. Any regular form of tuition,
moreover, could only be possible to those living in
Philadelphia. For those who had settled many miles,
sometimes a whole day’s journey to the westward, it
would have been impossible to make paths through the
trackless wilderness for their children, even had there
been a school within reach.

Nevertheless Penn made every exertion to accomplish 82


this end, and as early as December, 1683, even before
the site of Philadelphia was entirely cleared of trees, he
had a certain Enoch Flower open a school in a wretched
wooden cabin which was divided into two rooms.
Instruction was confined, however, to reading and
writing, for the former of which a charge of four
shillings, the latter six shillings, a quarter, was made, to
form a school fund. Arrangements were also made by
which the children of distant settlers could be provided
with board and lodging at a cost of ten pounds a year.
This primitive institution was gradually improved and
enlarged till in six years’ time the position of head
master was assumed by Penn’s friend, George Keith. By
the efforts of a certain William Bradford who had come
over from England on the Welcome, a printing press
was also set up in Philadelphia, the first product of
which, of any note, was a calendar for the year 1687.

Another of Penn’s special cares was the maintenance of


friendly relations with the Indians, for which Colonel
Markham had already paved the way. He made it a
personal duty to win their confidence and to this end
mingled with them as much as possible, roaming about
with them through the forest, wholly unarmed, sharing
their meals, and even joining in the games and sports of
the young men, at which he sometimes displayed skill
or agility equal to their own. In this way he also learned
their language and became so familiar with their habits
and manner of thought that it became as easy for him
to communicate with them as if he had been one of
themselves.
PENN AND THE INDIANS
It was necessary, however, for him to establish peaceful 83
relations with all the Indian tribes claiming his territory
as their hunting grounds, as well as with those nearer at
hand, for the farther the settlers penetrated into the
wilderness the greater was the danger of their being
treated by the Indians as hostile invaders, unless
protected by some agreement. He therefore determined
to invite all the tribes to a general council for the
purpose of concluding a solemn treaty of peace and
friendship.

84
Chapter VII
The Indian Conference—Signing of the Treaty—Penn Returns to
England to Defend his Rights against Lord Baltimore—
Accession of James the Second—His Dethronement and
Accession of William the Third

The place chosen by Penn for this conference was a


spot which had been used by the natives from time
immemorial for such purposes. It was called
“Sakimaxing,” now Shakamaxon, meaning “Place of the
King,” and was situated on the bank of the Delaware not
far from the site of Philadelphia. The wide-spreading
branches of a huge elm, then at least a hundred and
fifty years old, shaded the beautiful spot which
commanded a superb view of the river and the dark
woods of the New Jersey shore beyond. Long before a
paleface ever entered these regions the Indians had
assembled here to hold their councils, settle their
disputes, and smoke the pipe of peace, as was their
custom. It was here too that Colonel Markham had first
treated with them.
THE CONFERENCE
They willingly obeyed the summons of the “great Onas,” 85
as they called the white chief who had completely won
their hearts, while the distant tribes who had never seen
Penn in person were most curious to behold this
paleface of whom they had heard so much and who
must be so different from any other of whom they had
ever heard. They arrived in bands, in their picturesque
garb, the skin of some animal or a handwoven blanket
wrapped about the upper part of their bodies, which
were marked with strange signs and painted in the most
brilliant colors, their feet enclosed in leather moccasins,
making possible a light and perfectly noiseless tread,
their heads adorned with the huge war bonnets of
many-colored feathers. All the great chiefs were
present, among them the wise old Tamemund, most
distinguished of all. Penn, now in the prime of
manhood, was handsomely dressed in European fashion
to receive his Indian friends. The long coat with its rows
of shining buttons and lace ruffles falling from the wrists
fitted smoothly over his tall, well-built frame and half
covered the slashed knee breeches. He wore, according
to the custom of the time, a long curled wig on which
rested a plain beaver hat. As he stood there calm and
dignified, as became a great leader, surrounded by a
few of his closest friends, among whom was Colonel
Markham, already known to most of the Indians, the
kindness and benevolence that shone in his dark eyes
could not but win the confidence of these simple
children of the forest.

After the pipe of peace had been passed around the 86


circle, Tamemund arose and placed on his head a sort
of crown, or wreath, to which was attached a small
horn. This was to signify that the spot as well as the
company was now consecrated, so to speak, and the
conference could proceed. He then seated himself
again, surrounded by the oldest and most renowned
chiefs of tribes, the warriors forming a semi-circle
behind them, while the youths who had not yet attained
the dignity of braves ranged themselves in the
background. Tamemund now announced that his
children were ready to listen to the great Onas.

Slowly and with dignity Penn arose in answer to this


summons, and after letting his keen glance travel lightly
over the assembled group, waiting silent and motionless
for his words, he began to speak, using the Lenni
Lennapee dialect, with which he was most familiar, and
preserving as far as possible the figurative language of
the Indians. The Great Spirit, so he declared, who made
all men and to whom all good men return after death,
who reads all hearts, knew that he and his children
meant well by their red brothers and sincerely wished to
live in peace and concord with them and to be their
friends and to help them in every way possible. This too
was the will of the Great Spirit, that all his people
should be as one family, bearing one another’s burdens
and sharing one another’s sorrows. Thus would he and
his children treat their Indian brothers; musket and
sword should be discarded and they should live together
friendly and loyally. In return they hoped for the same
pledge from the redmen, in whose justice and honesty
they had the firmest trust.

After these introductory words, which were received 87


with repeated signs of approval from his audience, Penn
read aloud the treaty of peace, drawn up by himself,
and explained its various points more in detail. It
stipulated that everything should be free, alike to the
palefaces and their red brothers, and the doors of the
one be ever open to the other, that the children of Onas
would listen to no false tales against their brothers, who
on their part must believe no evil of the palefaces, but
each must agree to report to the other anything that
should come to his knowledge which might prove
harmful to him. Should any one suffer a real injury he
must not take vengeance himself, but lay the matter
before his chief or Onas, when sentence should be
passed by the judgment of twelve just men; after this
the injury must be forgotten as if it had never occurred.
Lastly, this treaty of friendship should be handed down
to their children and be kept sacred so long as water
flowed in the rivers or the sun, moon, and stars shone
in the heavens.

Penn then placed the written treaty on the ground 88


between himself and the Indian chiefs, who retired to
hold a brief consultation, after which Tamemund
answered for his companions that they were satisfied
with the treaty and would keep it in the letter and in the
spirit. This was all. No oaths were taken, no seal set;
the simple word of both was sufficient. It has been said
of this treaty made by Penn with the Indians, in contrast
to the many signed and sealed between Christian
peoples only stands alone as the only treaty never
sworn to and never broken. While the other settlers in
the New World were perpetually at warfare with the
Indians, and many were slain by them in the most cruel
manner, there was never a drop of blood shed in this
manner in the Quaker colony. The memory of Penn, the
great Onas, was cherished by the natives long after he
had left America and even after his death, and none of
his children ever lacked shelter and hospitality from
them. Nor have his countrymen forgotten the service
rendered to them by this treaty with the Indians. When
in 1810 the great elm under which it was concluded was
blown down in a terrific storm, Penn’s descendants in
England were sent a block of wood from this famous
tree, which, according to its rings, had attained an age
of nearly three hundred years and the enormous
circumference of twenty-four feet. On the spot where it
had stood a simple monument of granite was afterward
placed in memory of that invaluable covenant to which
Pennsylvania was so largely indebted for its quick and
prosperous development.

The original constitution drawn up by Penn proving in 89


some respects no longer adapted to existing conditions
in the colony, it was subjected to some changes, though
the fundamental principles were retained unaltered. The
government was now placed entirely in the hands of the
people, to be exercised through their deputies, and a
council also chosen by them, Penn resigning all share in
the administration. “My aim,” he wrote one of his
friends, “is to leave no power to my successors by which
any single individual may work harm to or interfere with
the welfare of the whole country.” How much this was
appreciated is shown by the passage of a resolution by
the government to impose a tax on certain articles for
Penn’s benefit. He refused to accept it, however,
although he might have done so with a clear
conscience, as it was well known that he had spent over
twenty thousand pounds at various times in paying the
Indians for the land they had given up, but in which
they still retained the right to hunt and fish. On the
thirtieth of March, 1683, the newly revised constitution
was accepted, signed by Penn, and then submitted to
the English government for approval.

At this time Penn was much interested in the progress 90


of a house which was being built for him under
Markham’s supervision at a place afterward known as
Pennsburg, which was to be his family mansion when he
brought his wife and children out from England. Anxious
as he was, however, that all about it should be
according to his wishes, the troublesome boundary
dispute called him away to Newcastle, where it was
hoped the matter might be finally settled. But no
agreement was reached and Lord Baltimore soon
afterward sailed for England to lay his claims before the
King. Reluctant as he was to leave America, and
necessary as his presence was there at that time, Penn
realized, therefore, that in order to protect his own
rights he would be forced to follow the same course and
carry his case to England likewise. This decision was
hastened by the arrival of letters from home informing
him not only of the dangerous illness of his wife, but
also of the outbreak of fresh persecutions against all
dissenters, and especially the Quakers. The Friends
wrote urging his return and beseeching him to use his
influence at court once more in their favor, as he had so
often done in the past. Moreover, his enemies had
circulated various calumnies against him which could
only be refuted by himself in person.

There seemed no choice left him. He must put the


Atlantic Ocean between him and his province, for which
he had labored so zealously and so successfully for
more than a year and a half. But before he sailed he
once more summoned the Indian chiefs to bid them
farewell and urge them even more strongly than before
to keep faith with him and observe their treaty with his
“children.” During his absence the business of
government was entrusted to a few chosen citizens on
whom he could depend to carry out his ideas and
principles. How hard it was for him to leave in spite of
his anxiety to be at the bedside of his sick wife, and
how much at heart he had the welfare of his province, is
shown by the fact that even after he had boarded the
ship he took time before it sailed to write a parting
letter of instructions to his deputies, urging them to
maintain the peace he had striven so hard to establish
and invoking the blessing of God on the new settlement.

The return voyage was a more prosperous one than the 91


last, and in June, 1684, Penn landed safely on his native
shores again. The anxiety he had suffered during the
voyage as to his wife’s illness fortunately proved
groundless, for he found her quite restored to health,
thus leaving nothing to mar the joy of reunion with his
family. He did not long enjoy this happiness, however,
for his first care was to secure some settlement of his
dispute with Lord Baltimore. He hastened to London,
therefore, after a few days, to present himself at court,
where he was most graciously received both by the King
and the Duke of York, who assured him that the matter
should be promptly adjusted in all fairness. The King
falling ill soon after this, however, the subject was again
deferred and Lord Baltimore determined to take
advantage of the situation by possessing himself of the
disputed territory. He sent word, therefore, to his agents
in America to seize it by force, ejecting all settlers who
refused to acknowledge his sovereignty or to pay the
tax imposed by him. Nothing but the threat made by the
government of Pennsylvania of an immediate complaint
to the King prevented the execution of this order, the
result of which interference was that in addition to the
malicious charges already heaped upon Penn by his
enemies it was said that this apostle of peace had done
his best to kindle a civil war in America.

On the sixth of February, 1685, King Charles the Second 92


died and his brother the Duke of York succeeded to the
throne as James the Second. The time now seemed ripe
for Penn to pave the way for the establishment in
England of that liberty of conscience for which he had
already made so many sacrifices and secured so
successful a home across the sea. The new King had
always been opposed to the religious persecutions that
had existed during his brother’s reign and Penn looked
with confidence for some manifestation of these
sentiments now that James was on the throne. Nor was
he disappointed. In response to a petition addressed to
the new sovereign by Penn, an order was immediately
issued suspending all penalties against religious
offenders and releasing those who were imprisoned for
such reasons, among whom were more than twelve
hundred Quakers alone. But the mere exercise of the
royal right of pardon by no means satisfied Penn. His
aim was to secure universal liberty of conscience in
England by the passage of a law which should
guarantee this, and through the favor he enjoyed with
the King he still hoped to bring it about. In order to be
near at hand, therefore, he removed his residence from
Worminghurst to London, that he might lose no
opportunity of exerting his influence with James, nor did
the fact of his being accused of having secretly joined
the Catholic religion to please the King deter him in the
least, accustomed as he was to all sorts of calumny.

The political intrigues in which James the Second was 93


continually involved, and which finally led to another
revolution, Penn was careful to avoid, and he would
gladly have exchanged the turmoil of court life for his
peaceful transatlantic colony had not a feeling of duty to
the cause he had undertaken urged him to remain
where he might be of some use. He spent much time at
court and was held in high regard by the King, who
permitted him to say many things that no other could
have ventured with impunity. This was well known and
Penn’s house was constantly besieged with petitioners
seeking to profit by his influence with the King. Yet firm
as was Penn’s confidence in James’ good faith, he could
not blind himself to the ever-increasing distrust and
dissatisfaction with which his subjects regarded him.
Not only did he openly practise the rites of his religion,
having a magnificent chapel built near the palace for the
observance of Catholic worship, but he also instituted
several monastic orders, while the Jesuits were
permitted such influence at court that it was generally
feared an attempt would be made to introduce that
religion as the state form of worship. This suspicion was
still further increased when in March, 1687, the King
summarily abolished all penal laws against dissenters,
including the so-called Test Act, which permitted none
but members of the established church to hold public
office of any kind. As this act had been originally framed
for the express purpose of excluding Catholics from the
government, its abolition naturally was regarded with
alarm.

Rejoiced as Penn was at the repeal of the hated laws 94


against dissenters, he felt it his duty to warn the King
against showing such open favor toward Catholicism,
urging him at the same time to secure the authority of
Parliament for these reforms. But James heeded neither
the warning nor the appeal and insisted on the exercise
of absolute power without reference to Parliament.
Fearing lest the abolition of some of the fundamental
national laws might follow in the same arbitrary manner,
a storm of protest followed and a general revolt seemed
imminent. Many eyes had already been turned toward
the King’s son-in-law, Prince William of Orange, as a
possible successor to the English throne, and at this
crisis the Prince, being even then in communication with
the malcontents in England, was approached with offers
as to the dethronement of James, offers which he had
no scruples in accepting.
On the fifth of November, 1688, he accordingly landed
on the English coast with a well-armed force and was
hailed with general acclamations, the troops hastily
collected by the King for his own defence also deserting
to his standard. On hearing this news James fled from
London, thinking to escape to France, but being
discovered on his way to the coast he was advised by
his friends to return to London. At the approach of the
Prince of Orange, however, he again fled, and this time
succeeded in reaching the shores of France in safety,
where he was willingly given shelter by his friend Louis
the Fourteenth.

On the twenty-second of January, 1689, the throne of 95


England was declared vacant by Parliament and the
Prince of Orange proclaimed King, as William the Third,
on subscribing to a law regulating the prerogatives of
the crown as well as the State and depriving the
sovereign of those rights which James had so arbitrarily
exercised of abolishing laws on his own absolute
authority or of interfering with their execution.

96
Chapter VIII
Penn Tried for Treason and Acquitted—Withdrawal of Penn’s
Charter—Death of his Wife and Son—Second Marriage—
Journey to America—Penn’s Home—Attempts to Correct
Abuses—Returns to England and Encounters Fresh Dangers
—Penn in the Debtors’ Prison—Ingratitude of the Colonists

The flight of King James was the signal for the


departure of his friends and favorites also, but Penn
refused to leave the country in spite of urgent entreaties
from all sides to do so. Calm in the consciousness that
he had done nothing which was not for the honor and
welfare of England, he persisted in this determination
even when the houses of many who were supposed to
favor the fugitive King were burned by the populace.
When called upon by the council, which had assumed
the reins of government, to explain his relations with
James, he declared simply that his life had been
devoted to the service of his country and the Protestant
religion, that the King had been his father’s friend and
his own guardian, and that while he had always shown
him the respect and obedience due from a subject, he
had done nothing and should do nothing inconsistent
with his duty to God and his country.

On this frank declaration he was allowed to go free, 97


after giving a bond of six thousand pounds, until his
public trial should take place, at which he was later
acquitted. In spite of this, however, he was twice again

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