John Dickinson

(noun)

An American lawyer and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. He was a militia officer during the American Revolution, a Continental Congressman from Pennsylvania and Delaware, a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, President of Delaware and President of Pennsylvania

Related Terms

Examples of John Dickinson in the following topics:

  • Economic Retaliation and Reaction to the Townshend Acts

    • Dickinson's Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania
    • The most influential colonial response to the Townshend Acts was a series of twelve essays by John Dickinson entitled "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania," which began appearing in December 1767.
    • Eloquently articulating ideas already widely accepted in the colonies, Dickinson argued that there was no difference between "internal" and "external" taxes, and that any taxes imposed on the colonies by Parliament for the sake of raising a revenue were unconstitutional.
    • Dickinson warned colonists not to concede to the taxes just because the rates were low, since this would set a dangerous precedent.
    • Dickinson sent a copy of his "Letters" to James Otis of Massachusetts, informing Otis that "whenever the Cause of American Freedom is to be vindicated, I look towards the Province of Massachusetts Bay."

  • Pursuing Both War and Peace

    • When the Second Continental Congress convened in May 1775, most delegates supported John Dickinson in his efforts to reconcile with George III of Great Britain.
    • However, a small faction of delegates, led by John Adams, argued that war was inevitable.
    • At the same time, the British also confiscated a letter authored by John Adams, which expressed frustration with attempts to make peace with the British.

  • Conclusion: The Fight for Independence

    • In the petition, the Second Continental Congress, as drafted by Pennsylvania delegate John Dickinson, swore loyalty to the Crown and requested tax reforms to ease existent tensions.
    • By June 1776, the Second Continental Congress had appointed a “Committee of Five”, consisting of John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R.

  • Romanticism in America

    • The poetry of Emily Dickinson—nearly unread in her own time—and Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick can be taken as epitomes of American Romantic literature.

  • The Emergence of "American" Literature

    • Emily Dickinson began writing poetry in the 1830s, and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) rose to a prominent reputation in the late 1970s.

  • John Randolph and the Old Republicans

    • When Virginia congressman John Randolph broke with Jefferson in 1806, his political faction became known as the "Old Republicans," or "quids."
    • Virginia congressman John Randolph of Roanoke was the leader of the "Old Republican" faction of Democratic-Republicans that insisted on a strict adherence to the Constitution and opposed any innovations.
    • John Randolph was a planter and a congressman from Virginia, serving in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and also as minister to Russia throughout his career.
    • Photograph at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington of John Randolph of Roanoke, VA.

  • The Adams Presidency

    • John Adams, the second president to hold office, believed in a strong federal government and an expansion of executive power.
    • As the second president to hold office, Federalist John Adams followed Washington's example in stressing civic virtue and republican values.
    • After the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts, Democratic-Republicans began to use the term "the reign of witches" to describe the Federalist party and John Adams.
    • John Adams was the second President of the United States, elected in 1796.

  • The Election of 2004

    • Bush was elected for a second term when he narrowly defeated Democratic candidate John Kerry.
    • Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior Senator from Massachusetts.
    • Kerry's running mate, John Edwards, who had also run as a Democratic primary candidate, received one electoral vote for president from an elector from Minnesota.
    • On July 6, 2004, John Kerry selected John Edwards as his running mate, shortly before the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston held later that month.
    • The split vote in Minnesota denotes an elector's vote counted for Vice President nominee John Edwards.

  • The Raid on Harper's Ferry

    • John Brown, a radical abolitionist from the North, led an attack on the federal arsenal Harper's Ferry in 1859.
    • Many Northern reactions to John Brown's raid are best characterized as baffled reproach.
    • The psychological significance of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry cannot be overestimated.
    • The South found the North's ambivalent attitude toward John Brown's raid flabbergasting.
    • Compare how Southern and Northern states responded to John Brown’s raid

  • The Transformation of Law

    • John Marshall greatly impacted the legal system in the United States during his 30 year tenure as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
    • The Supreme Court also gained significant power under the leadership of Chief Justice John Marshall , who served from 1801 to 1835.
    • John Marshall (1755 – 1835) was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches.
    • John Marshall was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for over 30 years.