Final answer:
The assertion that Germantown was the first Quaker settlement is false. Quakerism was the predominant religion in Pennsylvania, where William Penn, a Quaker, hoped to establish a colony based on social equality, religious tolerance, and commercial success.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'Germantown was the first Quaker settlement' is false. Germantown was an important site in Quaker history, especially concerning the topic of anti-slavery. The Quakers, also known as the Society of Friends, led by George Fox in the 1640s, and later on William Penn, sought to create a safe haven for their beliefs, which included radical ideas of social equality and religious tolerance.
The predominant religion in Pennsylvania was indeed Quakerism, as William Penn himself was a Quaker and the colony was a center for religious freedom and nonconformist beliefs. William Penn envisioned Pennsylvania as both a holy experiment and a commercial venture. In 1775, Quakers founded the world's first antislavery society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, marked by their belief that slavery violated their religious principles that God's light was present in every individual.