William Penn was not directly involved in the Walking Purchase, as it occurred after his time. However, the Walking Purchase is tied to the larger context of colonial land dealings in Pennsylvania, which traces back to Penn's founding and initial treaties with Native American tribes.

Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn in 1681, and he negotiated treaties with the local Native American tribes, particularly the Lenape (or Delaware) tribe, to purchase land for his colony. These agreements were generally fair and aimed at peaceful coexistence.

However, the Walking Purchase, which took place in 1737, was a land acquisition scheme carried out by the sons of William Penn, namely Thomas Penn and John Penn, who were the proprietors of Pennsylvania at that time. The Penn brothers exploited a clause in a 1686 treaty between William Penn and the Lenape, which stated that the boundaries of the land would extend "as far as a man could walk in a day and a half."

Taking advantage of this ambiguous phrasing, the Penn brothers organized a race-walking event where three men covered a vast distance in a day and a half, far exceeding what would be possible by foot travel under normal circumstances. This allowed them to claim a significantly larger portion of land than originally intended by the treaty.

The Walking Purchase resulted in the unfair acquisition of about 1,200 square miles of Lenape territory in present-day Pennsylvania, causing significant tension and conflict between the colonists and the Native American tribes.

So, while William Penn himself was not directly involved in the Walking Purchase, it was carried out by his descendants and was part of the broader history of colonial land dealings in Pennsylvania, which began with his initial treaties with Native American tribes.