Penman of the Founding

An important recovery of Dickinson's political legacy.

Auteur
Jane E. Calvert received her PhD in history from the University of Chicago. She has taught at St. Mary's College of Maryland, the University of Kentucky, and Yale University and is currently director and chief editor of the John Dickinson Writings Project. Her work, which has been supported by leading research institutions as well as federal agencies, focuses on the intersection of theology and political theory in the Colonial and Founding Eras. Her first book, Quaker Constitutionalism and the Political Thought of John Dickinson (2009), describes the origins of civil disobedience in Quakerism and provides the first explanation of Dickinson's thought and action during the Revolution.

Texte du rabat

John Dickinson, one of the architects of the Constitution--and the main author of its predecessor, the Articles of Confederation--refused to sign the Declaration of Independence. His notion of rebellion was of civil disobedience rather than violent overthrow. Dickinson has been portrayed as a cooler head in a moment of hotheads; a Quaker in all but name. During his lifetime, Dickinson freed his slaves, even paid reparations, and advocated extending greater rights for women and Native Americans. He also served in the Continental Army, despite his Quaker principles, and fought with distinction. Written by the foremost expert on Dickinson, Jane E. Calvert's book shines a new light on this lesser-known but crucially important founding figure.

Résumé
Why is it that so many Americans have not heard of John Dickinson? John Dickinson of Pennsylvania and Delaware was an early leader of the resistance to British rule in the American colonies. In fact, to many, he was the most prominent figure in the struggle for independence, though his Quaker-influenced opposition to violence kept him from signing one of its most famous documents in July 1776. Still, Dickinson, one of the wealthiest men in the colonies, did more to promote the cause behind it than almost anyone else, not only as the lead draftsman in all the national Congresses, but in his popular writing. His hugely influential Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania educated colonists about their rights and instructed them in how to defend those rights in non-violent ways. In essence he taught the colonists to think of themselves as Americans, united in a common cause. Despite his refusal to sign the Declaration of Independence, he continued to serve the nation in a number of capacities--in Congress, as governor of Delaware and Pennsylvania, as president of the Annapolis Convention, as delegate to the Federal Convention, and as president of the Delaware constitutional convention. Because of his close association with Quakerism, he also took stances unlike any other major figure of his day, making him among the first to advocate civil disobedience as a form of protest, freeing his slaves and embracing abolitionism, advocating rights for women, Indians, prisoners, and the poor. He nonetheless volunteered for active service in the Delaware militia during the War of Independence. Despite the key part he played in the country's founding, few Americans today have heard of John Dickinson. Early chroniclers and historians, seeking to create a patriotic narrative and taking their cues from his political enemies, cast him as a coward and Loyalist for not signing the Declaration. Many later historians have simply accepted and echoed this distorted and dismissive view. Jane Calvert's fascinating, authoritative, and accessible biography, the first complete account of Dickinson's life and work, restores him to a place of prominence in the nation's formative years.

Contenu

• Introduction

• Prologue: "The most distinguished of patriots":

• Congress Remembers John Dickinson, February 1808

• Chapter One: "Nursd in the Arms of Liberty":

• Youth and Education, 1732-1750

• Chapter Two: "The Noblest Aim of Human Abilities and Industry":

• Legal Training in London, 1753-1757

• Chapter Three: "Defending the Innocent and redressing the Injurd":

• Practicing Law in Philadelphia, 1757-1759

• Chapter Four: "Congratulate me on my Salvation":

• Election to Public Office, 1759-1764

• Chapter Five: "Created in us by the decrees of Providence":

• The Stamp Act Resistance, 1765-1766

• Chapter Six: "By uniting We stand, by dividing We fall":

• The Townshend Acts and the Rise of the Farmer, 1767-1768

• Chapter Seven: "Pursue moderate measures with vigour":

• Leader of the Resistance, 1769-1773

• Chapter Eight: "Freedom or an honorable Death":

• The Continental Congresses, 1774-1775

• Chapter Nine: "As the rock among the waves":

• Supporting America Against Americans, 1776-1777

• Chapter Ten: "From the Mist of Doubts to the Sunshine of Belief":

• A Turn Towards Quakerism and a Return to Politics, 1778-1781

• Chapter Eleven: "How unexpected and distressing this Event":

• President of Delaware, 1781-1782

• Chapter Twelve: "Through a Wilderness of Difficulties":

• President of Pennsylvania, 1782-1785

• Chapter Thirteen: "A labour of public love":

• Reconstituting the People, 1786-1793

• Chapter Fourteen: "I love Mankind":

• A Citizen Activist, 1794-1799

• Chapter Fifteen: "A constant Watchman for the public Interest":

• A Politician Behind the Scenes, 1800-1808

• Epilogue: "My name remembered by Posterity":

• The Dismantling of a Legacy, 1808-2023

• Index