Misplaced Pages

#501498

85-584: John Dickinson (November 13, [ O.S. November 2] 1732 – February 14, 1808), a Founding Father of the United States , was an attorney and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , and Wilmington, Delaware . Dickinson was known as the " Penman of the Revolution " for his twelve Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania , published individually in 1767 and 1768, and he also wrote " The Liberty Song " in 1768. As

170-665: A "Proclamation against Vice and Immorality," he sought ways to bring an end what he perceived to be the disorder of the American Revolution . It was a popular position and enhanced his reputation both in Delaware and Pennsylvania. Dickinson then successfully challenged the Delaware General Assembly to address lagging militia enlistments and to properly fund the state's assessment to the Confederation government. Recognizing

255-657: A "superfine" flour. Most people at this plantation were servants and slaves of the Dickinsons. Dickinson was educated at home by his parents and by recent immigrants employed for that purpose. Among them was the Presbyterian minister Francis Alison , who later established New London Academy in Chester County, Pennsylvania . Most important was his tutor, William Killen, who became a lifelong friend and who later became Delaware 's first chief justice and chancellor . Dickinson

340-623: A calendar change, respectively. Usually, they refer to the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 1582 and 1923. In England , Wales , Ireland and Britain's American colonies , there were two calendar changes, both in 1752. The first adjusted the start of a new year from 25 March ( Lady Day , the Feast of the Annunciation ) to 1 January,

425-535: A change which Scotland had made in 1600. The second discarded the Julian calendar in favour of the Gregorian calendar, skipping 11 days in the month of September to do so. To accommodate the two calendar changes, writers used dual dating to identify a given day by giving its date according to both styles of dating. For countries such as Russia where no start-of-year adjustment took place, O.S. and N.S. simply indicate

510-1235: A fierce advocate for independence and Dickinson's adversary on the floor of Congress, remarked, "Mr. Dickinson's alacrity and spirit certainly become his character and sets a fine example." Dickinson is one of only two members of the First Continental Congress who actively took up arms during the Revolutionary War. In the Pennsylvania militia, known as the Associators , Dickinson was given the rank of brigadier general and led 10,000 soldiers to Elizabeth, New Jersey , to protect that area against British attack from Staten Island . But because of his unpopular opinion abstaining from supporting independence, two junior officers were promoted above him. Dickinson resigned his commission in December 1776 and went to stay at Poplar Hall in Kent County . While there, Dickinson learned that his home on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia had been confiscated and converted into

595-680: A hospital. He stayed at Poplar Hall for more than two years. The Delaware General Assembly tried to appoint him as their delegate to the Second Continental Congress in 1777, but he refused. In August 1777, he served as a private with the Kent County militia at Middletown, Delaware , under General Caesar Rodney to help delay General William Howe 's march to Philadelphia during the Philadelphia campaign . In October 1777, Dickinson's friend Thomas McKean appointed him brigadier general of

680-454: A letter dated "12/22 Dec. 1635". In his biography of John Dee , The Queen's Conjurer , Benjamin Woolley surmises that because Dee fought unsuccessfully for England to embrace the 1583/84 date set for the change, "England remained outside the Gregorian system for a further 170 years, communications during that period customarily carrying two dates". In contrast, Thomas Jefferson , who lived while

765-581: A member of the First Continental Congress , where he signed the Continental Association , Dickinson drafted most of the 1774 Petition to the King , and then, as a member of the Second Continental Congress , he wrote the 1775 Olive Branch Petition . Both of these attempts to negotiate with King George III of Great Britain failed. Dickinson also reworked Thomas Jefferson 's language to write

850-878: A start-of-year adjustment works well with little confusion for events before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. For example, the Battle of Agincourt is well known to have been fought on 25 October 1415, which is Saint Crispin's Day . However, for the period between the first introduction of the Gregorian calendar on 15 October 1582 and its introduction in Britain on 14 September 1752, there can be considerable confusion between events in Continental Western Europe and in British domains. Events in Continental Western Europe are usually reported in English-language histories by using

935-526: Is 9 February 1649, the date by which his contemporaries in some parts of continental Europe would have recorded his execution. The O.S./N.S. designation is particularly relevant for dates which fall between the start of the "historical year" (1 January) and the legal start date, where different. This was 25 March in England, Wales, Ireland and the colonies until 1752, and until 1600 in Scotland. In Britain, 1 January

SECTION 10

#1732844156502

1020-620: Is named in his honor, as is John Dickinson High School in Milltown, Delaware , and Dickinson Hall at the University of Delaware . An original stage play Except, Mr. Dickinson was presented at the 15th Street Meeting House in an off-Broadway setting. The show was written by August Nigro. Dickinson was a self-taught scholar of history, and spent most of his time in historical research. As an intellectual, he thought that men should think for themselves, and his deepening studies led him to refuse to sign

1105-525: The American Philosophical Society as a member. On July 19, 1770, Dickinson married Mary Norris , known as Polly, a prominent and well educated 30-year-old woman in Philadelphia with a substantial holding of real estate and personal property, including a 1,500 volume library, one of the largest in the colonies at the time, who had been operating her family's estate, Fair Hill, for several years by herself with some support from her sister. She

1190-512: The Declaration of Independence , which was subsequently unanimously adopted by the remaining delegates to the Second Continental Congress . Dickinson did not consider it wise to plunge into immediate war; rather, he thought it best to use diplomacy to attain political ends and used the insights he gained from his historical studies to justify his caution. Given that Dickinson was raised in an aristocratic family, his cautious and thoughtful temperament

1275-619: The Delaware Militia , but Dickinson again declined the appointment. Shortly after, he learned that the British had burned down his Fair Hill property in the Battle of Germantown . In 1777, Dickinson, then Delaware's wealthiest farmer and largest slaveholder, decided to free his slaves. While Kent County was not as large a slave-holding area as southern colonies and Dickinson had only 37 slaves, his action represented considerable courage. The strongly abolitionist Quaker influences around them likely were influential in his decision, and his action

1360-618: The First Continental Congress in 1774 and the Second Continental Congress in 1775 and 1776. In support of the cause, he continued to contribute declarations in the name of the Congress. Dickinson wrote the Olive Branch Petition as the Second Continental Congress' last attempt for peace with King George III , who did not even read the petition. But through it all, agreeing with George Read and many others in Philadelphia and

1445-747: The Geographic Names Information System , the river begins at the dam of Silver Lake in the city of Dover ; Silver Lake is fed by Fork Branch, Penrose Branch, and Maidstone Branch. From Silver Lake, the St. Jones River flows generally southeastwardly, along the east side of downtown Dover and past Legislative Hall , the Capital Square/Legislative Mall, and the Dover Air Force Base to Bowers , where it flows into Delaware Bay, approximately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) north of

1530-679: The Inns of Court , following in the footsteps of his lifelong friend, Pennsylvania Attorney General Benjamin Chew , and in 1757 was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar beginning his career as barrister and solicitor. In protest to the Townshend Acts , Dickinson published Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania , which were first published in the Pennsylvania Chronicle . Dickinson's letters were reprinted by numerous other newspapers, and they emerged among

1615-592: The Russian Empire and the very beginning of Soviet Russia . For example, in the article "The October (November) Revolution", the Encyclopædia Britannica uses the format of "25 October (7 November, New Style)" to describe the date of the start of the revolution. The Latin equivalents, which are used in many languages, are, on the one hand, stili veteris (genitive) or stilo vetere (ablative), abbreviated st.v. , and meaning "(of/in) old style" ; and, on

1700-626: The Wyoming Valley resulting from prior claims of Connecticut to those lands. An exhausted Dickinson left office October 18, 1785. On that day a special election was held in which Benjamin Franklin was unanimously elected to serve the ten days left in Dickinson's term. Perhaps the most significant decision of his term was his patient, peaceful management of the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 . This

1785-575: The lower counties , Dickinson's objective at first was reconciliation, not independence and revolution. Dickinson prepared the first draft of the Articles of Confederation in 1776, after others had ratified the Declaration of Independence despite his concerns that the Declaration would escalate the Revolutionary War , which began in 1775 at the Battle of Lexington and Concord . At the time, he chaired

SECTION 20

#1732844156502

1870-463: The "lawfulness of defensive war".</ref> He and Norris were married in a civil ceremony. In Philadelphia, they lived at Fair Hill near the present-day Germantown neighborhood in Philadelphia, which they modernized through their combined wealth. Meanwhile, Dickinson built an elegant mansion on Chestnut Street , but never lived there because the mansion was confiscated and turned into a hospital during his 1776–77 absence in Delaware. It then became

1955-450: The 19th century, a practice that the author Karen Bellenir considered to reveal a deep emotional resistance to calendar reform. St. Jones River The river is believed to have been named either for Robert Jones , an early European property owner in the region, or for "St. Jone", adapted from a Welsh spelling from St. John ( Ioan ). The St. Jones River flows for its entire length in east-central Kent County . According to

2040-532: The 4th century , had drifted from reality . The Gregorian calendar reform also dealt with the accumulated difference between these figures, between the years 325 and 1582, by skipping 10 days to set the ecclesiastical date of the equinox to be 21 March, the median date of its occurrence at the time of the First Council of Nicea in 325. Countries that adopted the Gregorian calendar after 1699 needed to skip an additional day for each subsequent new century that

2125-597: The Articles of Confederation and secure a foreign alliance before issuing a declaration. Dickinson also objected to violence as a means for resolving the Thirteen Colonies ' dispute with Britain . He abstained or absented himself from the votes on July 2 that declared independence and absented himself again from voting on the wording of the formal declaration on July 4. Dickinson understood the implications of his refusal to vote saying, "My conduct this day, I expect will give

2210-579: The Boyne was commemorated with smaller parades on 1 July. However, both events were combined in the late 18th century, and continue to be celebrated as " The Twelfth ". Because of the differences, British writers and their correspondents often employed two dates, a practice called dual dating , more or less automatically. Letters concerning diplomacy and international trade thus sometimes bore both Julian and Gregorian dates to prevent confusion. For example, Sir William Boswell wrote to Sir John Coke from The Hague

2295-455: The British Isles and colonies converted to the Gregorian calendar, instructed that his tombstone bear his date of birth by using the Julian calendar (notated O.S. for Old Style) and his date of death by using the Gregorian calendar. At Jefferson's birth, the difference was eleven days between the Julian and Gregorian calendars and so his birthday of 2 April in the Julian calendar is 13 April in

2380-410: The British colonies, changed the start of the year from 25 March to 1 January, with effect from "the day after 31 December 1751". (Scotland had already made this aspect of the changes, on 1 January 1600.) The second (in effect ) adopted the Gregorian calendar in place of the Julian calendar. Thus "New Style" can refer to the start-of-year adjustment , to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar , or to

2465-523: The Civil Government shall be molested or prejudiced in his or their {his or her} persons or Estate for his or her religious persuasion or Practise, nor be compelled to frequent or maintain or contribute to maintain any religious Worship, Place of Worship, or Ministry, contrary to his or her Mind." Delaware elections were held October 1 and members of the General Assembly took office on October 20 or

2550-497: The Constitutionalists in the majority in his last year, all issues were contentious. At first he endured withering attacks from his opponents for his alleged failure to fully support the new government in large and small ways. He responded ably and survived the attacks. He managed to settle quickly the old boundary dispute with Virginia in southwestern Pennsylvania but was never able to satisfactorily disentangle disputed titles in

2635-515: The Convention he promoted the resulting Constitution in a series of nine essays, written under the pen name Fabius . Dickinson himself did not sign the constitution as he left early due to chronic illness but instead a colleague, George Read signed his name. In 1791, Delaware convened a convention to revise its existing Constitution , which had been hastily drafted in 1776. Dickinson was elected president of this convention, and although he resigned

John Dickinson - Misplaced Pages Continue

2720-612: The Gregorian calendar. For example, the Battle of Blenheim is always given as 13 August 1704. However, confusion occurs when an event involves both. For example, William III of England arrived at Brixham in England on 5 November (Julian calendar), after he had set sail from the Netherlands on 11 November (Gregorian calendar) 1688. The Battle of the Boyne in Ireland took place a few months later on 1 July 1690 (Julian calendar). That maps to 11 July (Gregorian calendar), conveniently close to

2805-466: The Gregorian calendar. Similarly, George Washington is now officially reported as having been born on 22 February 1732, rather than on 11 February 1731/32 (Julian calendar). The philosopher Jeremy Bentham , born on 4 February 1747/8 (Julian calendar), in later life celebrated his birthday on 15 February. There is some evidence that the calendar change was not easily accepted. Many British people continued to celebrate their holidays "Old Style" well into

2890-430: The Julian and Gregorian dating systems respectively. The need to correct the calendar arose from the realisation that the correct figure for the number of days in a year is not 365.25 (365 days 6 hours) as assumed by the Julian calendar but slightly less (c. 365.242 days). The Julian calendar therefore has too many leap years . The consequence was that the basis for the calculation of the date of Easter , as decided in

2975-564: The Julian calendar had added since then. When the British Empire did so in 1752, the gap had grown to eleven days; when Russia did so (as its civil calendar ) in 1918, thirteen days needed to be skipped. In the Kingdom of Great Britain and its possessions, the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 introduced two concurrent changes to the calendar. The first, which applied to England, Wales, Ireland and

3060-510: The Julian date of the subsequent (and more decisive) Battle of Aughrim on 12 July 1691 (Julian). The latter battle was commemorated annually throughout the 18th century on 12 July, following the usual historical convention of commemorating events of that period within Great Britain and Ireland by mapping the Julian date directly onto the modern Gregorian calendar date (as happens, for example, with Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November). The Battle of

3145-890: The Kent County property from his cousin and expanded it to about 3,000 acres (1,200 ha), stretching along the St. Jones River from Dover to the Delaware Bay . There he began another plantation and called it Poplar Hall . These plantations were large, profitable agricultural enterprises worked by slave labor , until 1777 when John Dickinson freed the enslaved of Poplar Hall. Samuel Dickinson married Judith Troth (1689–1729) on April 11, 1710. They had nine children; William, Walter, Samuel, Elizabeth, Henry, Elizabeth "Betsy", Rebecca, and Rachel. The three eldest sons died of smallpox while in London seeking their education. Widowed with two young children, Henry and Betsy, Samuel married Mary Cadwalader in 1731. She

3230-458: The Meeting in Philadelphia. But in 1739, John Dickinson's half-sister, Betsy, was married in an Anglican church to Charles Goldsborough in what was called a "disorderly marriage" by the Meeting. The couple would be the grandparents of Maryland Governor Charles Goldsborough . Leaving Croisadore to elder son Henry Dickinson, Samuel moved to Poplar Hall, where he had already taken a leading role in

3315-670: The Pennsylvania State University), separate institutions each operating a campus located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on land inherited and managed by his wife Mary Norris, were named for them. Dickinson College was originally named "John and Mary's College" but was renamed to avoid an implication of royalty by confusion with "William and Mary." And along with his Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania , Dickinson also authored The Liberty Song . Dickinson Street in Madison, Wisconsin ,

3400-589: The banks of the Choptank River , Walter began a plantation, Croisadore , meaning "cross of gold." Walter also bought 800 acres (3.2 km) on St. Jones Neck in what became Kent County, Delaware . Croisadore passed through Walter's son, William, to his grandson, Samuel, the father of John Dickinson. Each generation increased the landholdings so that Samuel inherited 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) on five farms in three Maryland counties; over his lifetime he increased that to 9,000 acres (3,600 ha). He also bought

3485-579: The burgeoning Revolution or independence, except protest. The Radicals took matters into their own hands, using irregular means to write the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 , which by law excluded from the franchise anyone who would not swear loyalty to the document or the Christian Holy Trinity . In this way, all Loyalists, moderate Whigs, and Quakers were kept out of government. This peremptory action seemed appropriate to many during

John Dickinson - Misplaced Pages Continue

3570-436: The chair after most of the work was complete, he remained highly influential in the content of the final document. Major changes included the establishment of a separate Chancery Court and the expansion of the franchise to include all taxpayers. Dickinson remained neutral in an attempt to include a prohibition of slavery in the document, believing the General Assembly was the proper place to decide that issue. The new Constitution

3655-486: The combination of the two. It was through their use in the Calendar Act that the notations "Old Style" and "New Style" came into common usage. When recording British history, it is usual to quote the date as originally recorded at the time of the event, but with the year number adjusted to start on 1 January. The latter adjustment may be needed because the start of the civil calendar year had not always been 1 January and

3740-518: The committee charged with drafting the Articles of Confederation, Dickinson was serving in the Continental Congress as a delegate from the Province of Pennsylvania. When the Second Continental Congress began the debate on the Declaration of Independence on July 1, 1776, Dickinson reiterated his opposition to declaring independence at that time. Dickinson believed that the Congress should complete

3825-462: The community as judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Kent County. The move also placed Mary nearer her Philadelphia relations. Poplar Hall was situated on an artificially straightened section of the St. Jones River. There was plenty of activity delivering the necessities and shipping the agricultural products produced. Much of this product was wheat that along with other wheat from the region, was milled into

3910-466: The council and thereby president of Pennsylvania. But he did not actually resign as president of Delaware. Even though Pennsylvania and Delaware shared the same governor until very recently, attitudes were changing, and many in Delaware were upset at seemingly being cast aside so readily, particularly after Philadelphia newspapers began criticizing Delaware for permitting its office holders to be non-residents. Dickinson's constitutional successor, John Cook ,

3995-511: The crises of 1777 and 1778 but less so in the later years of the Revolution, and the moderate Whigs gradually became the majority. Dickinson's election to the Supreme Executive Council was the beginning of a counterrevolution against the Constitutionalists. He was elected president of Pennsylvania on November 7, 1782, garnering 41 votes to James Potter 's 32. As president he presided over the intentionally weak executive authority of

4080-575: The damage, and remained there for several months. In October 1781, while at Poplar Hall, Dickinson was elected to represent Kent County in the State Senate . Shortly after, the Delaware General Assembly elected him president of Delaware. The General Assembly's vote was nearly unanimous; the only dissenting vote was cast by Dickinson himself. Dickinson took office on November 13, 1781, and served until November 7, 1782. Beginning his term with

4165-714: The delicate negotiations then underway to end the American Revolution, Dickinson secured the Assembly's continued endorsement of the French alliance, with no agreement on a separate peace treaty with Great Britain. On October 10, 1782, Dickinson was elected to the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania . On November 7, 1782, a joint ballot by the Council and the Pennsylvania General Assembly elected him as president of

4250-524: The effort to create a strong central government but only after the Great Compromise assured that each state, regardless of size, would have an equal vote in the future United States Senate . As he had done with the Articles, he also carefully drafted it with the term "Person" rather than "Man" as was used in the Declaration of Independence. He prepared initial drafts of the First Amendment . Following

4335-432: The end of the following December, 1661/62 , a form of dual dating to indicate that in the following twelve weeks or so, the year was 1661 Old Style but 1662 New Style. Some more modern sources, often more academic ones (e.g. the History of Parliament ) also use the 1661/62 style for the period between 1 January and 24 March for years before the introduction of the New Style calendar in England. The Gregorian calendar

SECTION 50

#1732844156502

4420-446: The final draft of the 1775 Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms . While in Congress, Dickinson served on the committee that wrote the Model Treaty , a template for seeking alliances with foreign countries, but he opposed independence from Great Britain. He either abstained or was absent from the vote on the Declaration of Independence and refused to sign the document after its passage. Nevertheless, Dickinson wrote

4505-417: The finishing blow to my once too great and, my integrity considered, now too diminished popularity." Dickinson refused to sign the declaration, and since a proposal had been brought forth and carried that stated "for our mutual security and protection", no man could remain in the Continental Congress without signing it, so Dickinson voluntarily departed and joined the Pennsylvania patriot militia. John Adams ,

4590-592: The first draft of the 1776–1777 Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union and served as a militia officer during the Revolution . He later was elected president of the 1786 Annapolis Convention , which called for the Constitutional Convention of 1787 , and as a delegate from Delaware , he signed the United States Constitution . One of the wealthiest men in the British American colonies , Dickinson served as president of Delaware (1781–1783) and president of Pennsylvania (1782–1785). Upon Dickinson's death, President Thomas Jefferson referred to Dickinson as, "(a)mong

4675-434: The first of the advocates for the rights of his country when assailed by Great Britain" and called him "one of the great worthies of the revolution." Together with his wife Mary Norris Dickinson , he is the namesake of Dickinson College , Penn State Dickinson Law , and the Dickinson Complex at the University of Delaware . John Dickinson High School in Wilmington, Delaware , was dedicated in his honor in 1959. Dickinson

4760-479: The first of the advocates for the rights of his country when assailed by Great Britain, he continued to the last the orthodox advocate of the true principles of our new government and his name will be consecrated in history as one of the great worthies of the revolution." He shares with Thomas McKean the distinction of serving as chief executive of both Delaware and Pennsylvania after the Declaration of Independence. Dickinson College and Dickinson School of Law (now of

4845-426: The following weekday. The State Legislative Council was created in 1776, and its legislative councilmen served a three-year term. Beginning in 1792, it was renamed the State Senate. State Assemblymen had a one-year term. The whole General Assembly chose the state president for a three-year term. Pennsylvania elections were also held in October. Assemblymen had a one-year term. The Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council

4930-429: The lives of strong Quaker women. As a lawyer, Dickinson often defended poor women in court, including Rachel Francisco, a "free mollato " who had been charged with infanticide. In 1776, while drafting the Articles of Confederation , Dickinson proposed the first gender inclusive language in an American constitution. In the proposed religious liberty clause, he wrote "No person or persons in any Colony living peaceably under

5015-420: The most influential American political documents prior to the American Revolution . Dickinson argued that the British Parliament had the right to regulate commerce but lacked the right to levy duties for revenue. Dickinson further warned that if the colonies acquiesced to the Townshend Acts, Parliament would lay further taxes on the colonies in the future. After publishing these letters, he was elected in 1768 to

5100-475: The mouth of the Murderkill River . The lower course of the river southeast of Dover is surrounded by brackish marshes and salt marshes , open water habitats, and wetlands . A portion of the lower river, along with nearby Blackbird Creek , have received federal protection as the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve , part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve system. The United States Board on Geographic Names settled on "St. Jones River" as

5185-403: The other, stili novi or stilo novo , abbreviated st.n. and meaning "(of/in) new style". The Latin abbreviations may be capitalised differently by different users, e.g., St.n. or St.N. for stili novi . There are equivalents for these terms in other languages as well, such as the German a.St. (" alter Stil " for O.S.). Usually, the mapping of New Style dates onto Old Style dates with

SECTION 60

#1732844156502

5270-444: The perversion of history and applied them to its proper use according to his understanding. His religiosity contributed heavily to his discernment of politics. Quakers disseminated their theologico-political thought aggressively and retained a significant measure of political influence. Dickinson's political thought, given his education and religion, was influential towards the founding of the United States. The political theory of Quakers

5355-404: The philosophic tenets of the Puritan Revolution that his theories were of enormous importance in the formation of the Constitution, and have considerable meaning for us today." His studies of history and religious viewpoints had a profound impact on his political thought and actions. Dickinson incorporated his learning and religious beliefs to counteract what he considered the mischief flowing from

5440-507: The residence of the French ambassador and then the residence of Dickinson's brother, Philemon Dickinson. On October 4, 1777, Fair Hill was burned by the British during the Battle of Germantown . While in Philadelphia as state president , Dickinson lived at the confiscated mansion of Joseph Galloway at Sixth and Market Streets , which is now the State Presidential Mansion. Dickinson lived at Poplar Hall for extended periods from 1776 to 1777 and from 1781 to 1782. In August 1781, Poplar Hall

5525-413: The state and was its chief officer but always required the agreement of a majority to act. He was re-elected twice and served the constitutional maximum of three years; his election on November 6, 1783, was unanimous. On November 6, 1784, he defeated John Neville , who also lost the election for vice president the same day. Working with small majorities in the General Assembly in his first two years and with

5610-408: Was a violent protest of Pennsylvania veterans who marched on the Continental Congress demanding their pay before being discharged from the Continental Army . Somewhat sympathizing with their case, Dickinson refused Congress's request to bring full military action against them, causing Congress to vote to remove themselves to Princeton, New Jersey . And when the new Congress agreed to return in 1790, it

5695-421: Was altered at different times in different countries. From 1155 to 1752, the civil or legal year in England began on 25 March ( Lady Day ); so for example, the execution of Charles I was recorded at the time in Parliament as happening on 30 January 164 8 (Old Style). In newer English-language texts, this date is usually shown as "30 January 164 9 " (New Style). The corresponding date in the Gregorian calendar

5780-510: Was an early feminist , partly attributable to Quaker culture. He believed that women were spiritually equal to men and deserved equal religious rights. Unlike many men of the era, Dickinson sought and took political counsel from women, particularly from his wife and his mother. Dickinson was also good friends with Quaker feminist Susanna Wright and corresponded with Catharine Macaulay and Mercy Otis Warren . He encouraged both Warren and Macaulay to continue writing. He bought books that detailed

5865-505: Was approved June 12, 1792. Dickinson had freed his slaves conditionally in 1776 and fully by 1787. Dickinson returned to the State Senate for the 1793 session but served just one year before resigning because of his declining health. In his final years, he worked to further the abolition movement and donated a considerable amount of his wealth to the "relief of the unhappy". In 1801, Dickinson published two volumes of his collected works on politics. Dickinson died at Wilmington, Delaware , and

5950-446: Was born at Alabama , his family's tobacco plantation near the village of Trappe in Talbot County , Province of Maryland . He was the great-grandson of Walter Dickinson who came from England as an indentured servant to the Colony of Virginia in 1654 and, having joined the Society of Friends , came with several co-religionists to Talbot County on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in 1659. There, with 400 acres (1.6 km) on

6035-670: Was buried in Friends Burial Ground in Wilmington. Shortly before his death he unconditionally freed all of his slaves. While he had been economically reliant on them, he also wanted slavery to end. By freeing all of his slaves upon his death, he thought this would contribute to the United States having a future without slavery. Like many of the founders he believed slavery would die "a natural death." In an original letter discovered November 2009 from Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Bringhurst, caretaker of Dickinson in his later years, Jefferson responds to news of Dickinson's death: "A more estimable man, or truer patriot, could not have left us. Among

6120-587: Was celebrated as the New Year festival from as early as the 13th century, despite the recorded (civil) year not incrementing until 25 March, but the "year starting 25th March was called the Civil or Legal Year, although the phrase Old Style was more commonly used". To reduce misunderstandings about the date, it was normal even in semi-official documents such as parish registers to place a statutory new-year heading after 24 March (for example "1661") and another heading from

6205-516: Was considered too weak in his support of the Revolution. On January 12, 1783, Cook called for a new election to choose a replacement, leading Dickinson to formally resign. When the American Revolution began, Dickinson fairly represented centrist views in Pennsylvania politics at a time when views varied over independence. The Pennsylvania General Assembly at the time was dominated by the Loyalists and moderates who, like Dickinson, did little to support

6290-425: Was convening at what today is Independence Hall in Philadelphia . During this term, he signed the Articles of Confederation , which he authored while serving in the First Continental Congress as a delegate from Province of Pennsylvania . In August 1781, while still a delegate in Philadelphia, he learned that Poplar Hall had been severely damaged by a Loyalist raid. Dickinson returned to the property to investigate

6375-687: Was created in 1776, and counsellors were popularly elected for three-year terms. A joint ballot of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Council chose the president from among the twelve counsellors for a one-year term. Both assemblies chose the Continental Congressmen for a one-year term as well as the delegates to the Constitutional Convention , which convened in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. Old Style and New Style dates Old Style ( O.S. ) and New Style ( N.S. ) indicate dating systems before and after

6460-430: Was facilitated by the fact that his farm had moved away from farming tobacco to less labor-intensive crops, including wheat and barley. Dickinson was the only Founding Father to free his slaves prior to 1786 when others also began doing so, except for Benjamin Franklin , who had freed his slaves by 1770. On January 18, 1779, Dickinson was appointed to be a delegate for Delaware to the Second Continental Congress , which

6545-545: Was implemented in Russia on 14 February 1918 by dropping the Julian dates of 1–13 February 1918 , pursuant to a Sovnarkom decree signed 24 January 1918 (Julian) by Vladimir Lenin . The decree required that the Julian date was to be written in parentheses after the Gregorian date, until 1 July 1918. It is common in English-language publications to use the familiar Old Style or New Style terms to discuss events and personalities in other countries, especially with reference to

6630-562: Was influenced by his Quaker affiliation and upbringing. As Dickinson grew to learn more about historical movements, however, he came to embrace the Revolutionary cause. Dickinson was very careful and refined in thought. Dickinson wrote in 1767, "We cannot act with too much caution in our disputes. Anger produces anger; and differences, that might be accommodated by kind and respectful behavior, may, by imprudence, be enlarged to an incurable rage." He did not behave rashly, insisting that prudence

6715-484: Was informed by their theology and ecclesiology , consequently Dickinson applied his religious beliefs and his belief in adhering to the letter of the law in his approach to the Constitution, referring to his historical knowledge as he did so. Quakers did use secular history as a guide for their political direction, and they considered scripture the most important historical source. Jane Calvert has argued that Dickinson

6800-500: Was precocious and energetic and in spite of his love of Poplar Hall, and his family was drawn to Philadelphia . At age 18, Dickinson began studying law under John Moland in Philadelphia. While there, he became friends with fellow students George Read , Samuel Wharton , and others. In 1753, he went to London for three years of study at the Middle Temple . He spent those years studying the works of Edward Coke and Francis Bacon at

6885-574: Was sacked by Loyalists and was badly burned in 1804. It is now owned by the state of Delaware and is open to the public. In 1785, following his service as president of Pennsylvania, Dickinson lived in Wilmington, Delaware , and built a mansion at the northwest corner of 8th and Market Streets in Center City Philadelphia . Dickinson was one of the delegates from the Province of Pennsylvania to

6970-595: Was the daughter of Martha Jones, the granddaughter of Dr. Thomas Wynne , and the prominent Quaker John Cadwalader, who was the grandfather of General John Cadwalader of Philadelphia . Their sons, John, Thomas, and Philemon were born in the next few years. For three generations the Dickinson family had been members of the Third Haven Friends Meeting in Talbot County, and the Cadwaladers were members of

7055-638: Was the daughter of wealthy Philadelphia Quaker and Speaker of the Pennsylvania General Assembly Isaac Norris and Sarah Logan, the daughter of James Logan . She was also cousin to the Quaker poet Hannah Griffitts . Dickinson and Norris had five children, but only two survived to adulthood: Sarah Norris "Sally" Dickinson and Maria Mary Dickinson. Dickinson never formally joined the Quaker Meeting because, as he explained, he believed in

7140-400: Was the key to great politics. Dickinson used his study of history and furthered his education to become a lawyer, which exposed him to more historical schooling. His education and religion allowed him to make important political decisions based on reason and sound judgment. John Powell states, "...these forces of Puritanism had a vigorous expression. It is precisely because Dickinson epitomized

7225-540: Was to be for only 10 years, until a permanent capital was found elsewhere. After his service in Pennsylvania, Dickinson returned to Wilmington, Delaware , where he was quickly appointed to represent Delaware at the Annapolis Convention , where he served as its president. In 1787, Delaware sent him as one of its delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 , along with Gunning Bedford Jr. , Richard Bassett , George Read, and Jacob Broom . There, he supported

#501498