John Dickinson’s entry into public life in Delaware and
Pennsylvania is a highlight of the ninety-eight documents written
over four years printed in Volume Two of The Complete Writings and
Selected Correspondence of John Dickinson. The volume opens with
Dickinson’s legal notes as he established himself as one of the
most prominent and learned lawyers in colonial British North
America. His cases dealt with, among other issues, interpretation
of wills, disputes over land, sailors suing for wages, a fine on a
Quaker who refused military service, and a notorious murder in a
prominent Philadelphia family. It concludes with Dickinson offering
thoughtful advice to a young man who was considering the arduous
work in becoming a lawyer. “I think,” he wrote, “those must
be infinitely the most happy, whose fatigues are softend by a
conscious Benevolence of mind wishing & endeavouring to
[pro]mote the Happiness of others as well as their own.”
Dickinson’s hard work on behalf of his clients brought him
success in other areas of his public life. In October 1759, he was
elected to his first public position as a representative for Kent
County, Del., the following year he was elevated to the position of
speaker, and in 1762, he became a representative for Philadelphia
County, Pa. As a legislator in two colonies, learning his craft as
a global war unfolded, he contributed to bills on military and
defense, Indian relations, infrastructure improvements and city
management, and served on various committees. The death of George
II occasioned debates over laws and judges, in which Dickinson
participated. This era concludes with Dickinson playing a central
role in managing the unfolding Paxton Riots, in which frontiersmen
massacred peaceful Indians and threatened the Quaker leadership of
Pennsylvania. In private, Dickinson lost the two most
prominent male figures in his life in 1760, his father, Samuel, and
soon thereafter, his mentor, colleague, and friend, John Moland. In
honor of Moland, Dickinson published a poem and became a proxy head
to Moland’s large family. Though his extant correspondence during
this period is small, he exchanged letters with Mary Cadwalader
Dickinson, Israel Pemberton, William Allason, George Read, Thomas
McKean, and others. Perhaps most significant, he wrote a lengthy,
unpublished essay on the flag-of-truce trade and also maintained
commonplace books as he considered his place within the British
Empire, opening up the next phase in Dickinson’s life as a leader
of the resistance against Britain. Published by the University of
Delaware Press. Distributed worldwide by Rutgers University Press.
General
| Imprint: |
University of Delaware Press
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Series: |
The Complete Writings and Selected Correspondence of John Dickinson |
| Release date: |
September 2021 |
| Firstpublished: |
2021 |
| Editors: |
Jane E. Calvert
|
| Authors: |
John Dickinson
|
| Dimensions: |
235 x 156 x 33mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Hardcover
|
| Pages: |
518 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-1-64453-160-0 |
| Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
Promotions
|
| LSN: |
1-64453-160-7 |
| Barcode: |
9781644531600 |
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