Penman of the Founding

Abstract This first complete and accurate biography of Founder John Dickinson gives a full account of his critical role in the establishment of the nation from the colonial period, through the earliest resistance to Britain, and into the Early Republic. Beginning with his childhood in Maryland and Delaware, it describes Dickinson’s Quaker family, heritage, and education in historical context. His family was wealthy enough to send him to Philadelphia and London for the best legal education in the British Empire. In England, he discovered his patriotic sentiments for America. Upon return to the colonies, he quickly rose to become a successful lawyer and legislator, which positioned him well for leadership of the American resistance to British taxation measures. From the 1765 Stamp Act Congress until 1776, Dickinson’s writings defined the response, creating a distinct sense of American identity and making Dickinson the first American celebrity. His agenda for reconciliation dominated the First and Second Continental Congresses. Because he did not want separation from Britain, he refused to vote on or sign the Declaration of Independence, but he nevertheless served as a colonel and a private in the Revolutionary War. He also advocated women’s rights and the abolition of slavery. Dickinson continued to serve in high office, as a delegate to Congress, president of Delaware and then Pennsylvania, chairman of the Annapolis Convention, delegate to the Federal Convention, president of the Delaware constitutional convention, and a Delaware state senator. In retirement, he remained active leading citizens’ groups, authoring pamphlets, writing and promoting legislation at the state and national levels, and engaging in philanthropy.