John Dickinson Symposium: New Perspectives on the American Founding
To commemorate the publication of the first volumes of The Complete Writings and Selected Correspondence of John Dickinson, ed. Jane E. Calvert (University of Delaware Press/Rutgers University Press), this symposium will, for the first time, assemble a range of scholars from various disciplines doing new and original work on Dickinson.
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Based on early access to sources collected by the John Dickinson Writings Project, their work demonstrates the breadth of research possible on this heretofore understudied but central figure in the American Founding.
This two-day event is free and open to the public and will be hosted and sponsored jointly by the American Philosophical Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company of Philadelphia, and the McNeil Center for Early American Studies.
Symposium Schedule
Thursday, October 20, 2022 at 5:30 PM EST
Hosted by the American Philosophical Society (APS)
Opening Reception and Plenary Address by Jack N. Rakove: “John Dickinson, Political Conscience, and the Dilemma of the Moderates."
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Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106
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Friday, October 21, 2022 from 8:30 – 5 PM EST
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Hosted by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
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Symposium featuring series of four panels
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1300 Locust St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
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Friday, October 21, 2022 from 5:15 – 6:45 PM EST
Hosted by the Library Company of Philadelphia
Catered reception
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1314 Locust St, Philadelphia PA 19107
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Selected Writings of John Dickinson and His Compatriots
Selected Writings of John Dickinson and His Compatriots is a document display on view at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania from October 20 through December 9.
This display showcases Dickinson life and work through four themes: personal life, political involvement, legal studies, and agricultural background.
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Visit us at 1300 Locust Street to view this rare display of original documents, ranging from petitions to manumission deeds to a draft of the Articles of Confederation.
John Dickinson Manuscripts at the
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
At the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's 2021 Annual Meeting, Dr. Jane E. Calvert presented on the John Dickinson Manuscripts within HSP's collections.
Jane E. Calvert is Associate Professor of History at the University of Kentucky and Director/Chief Editor of the John Dickinson Writings Project (JDP). Known as the foremost expert on Dickinson, she published Quaker Constitutionalism and the Political Thought of John Dickinson, which is the first analysis of Dickinson’s Quaker-informed thinking that explains his position on America’s resistance to Britain, independence, and creation of the U.S. Constitution. She has since published articles and essays on other aspects of his thought, including women’s rights and Black rights. Calvert’s forthcoming biography of Dickinson, tentatively titled We are Americans: The Inflexible Patriotism of John Dickinson, is based on previously unknown source material uncovered by the JDP.
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John Dickinson Symposium: New Perspectives on the American Founding is supported by the American Philosophical Society, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, the Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture, the University of Delaware Press, and the University of Kentucky History Department.
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