Overview

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 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 restores him to a place of prominence in the nation's formative years.

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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, describes the origins of civil disobedience in Quakerism and provides the first explanation of Dickinson's thought and action during the Revolution. Kitty Hendrix is an Audie Award-nominated and AudioFile Award-winning actor who has narrated books since 2013 in nearly every genre. With an extensive background in professional theater, indie film, and musical performance on both the East and West coasts, she often finds herself performing books that promote personal empowerment. In fiction, with an array of accents and an expansive emotional range, she enjoys narrating dynamic and complex characters. In nonfiction she loves imparting concepts and principles in a clear, compelling, and relatable way. Kitty loves audiobook narration because she gets to apply her acting skills every day. Kitty lives in NYC with her writer husband and her Shiba Inu, Reiki. Kitty Hendrix is an Audie Award-nominated and AudioFile Award-winning actor who has narrated books since 2013 in nearly every genre. With an extensive background in professional theater, indie film, and musical performance on both the East and West coasts, she often finds herself performing books that promote personal empowerment. In fiction, with an array of accents and an expansive emotional range, she enjoys narrating dynamic and complex characters. In nonfiction she loves imparting concepts and principles in a clear, compelling, and relatable way. Kitty loves audiobook narration because she gets to apply her acting skills every day. Kitty lives in NYC with her writer husband and her Shiba Inu, Reiki.

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