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.

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.