The Declaration's Forgotten (non)signer: John Dickinson’s Missing 1776 Signature Haunts His Legacy

NEW YORK — For a 4th century, Jane Calvert has been connected a ngo shared by fewer scholars of nan Revolutionary War era. She has championed a laminitis mostly remembered, erstwhile remembered astatine all, arsenic nan man who wouldn’t motion nan Declaration of Independence — nan lawyer and statesman John Dickinson.

“It has been a changeless struggle,” says Calvert, a erstwhile subordinate professor astatine nan University of Kentucky who has written often astir Dickinson and is nan laminitis of nan John Dickinson Writings Project, which intends to make his useful wide available.

For overmuch of nan country, nan 250th day of independency connected Saturday is simply a clip for celebrating and debating nan country’s birth. But for Calvert and others, it’s besides a infinitesimal to situation nan lingering image of a man who astatine times has been ignored, bullied aliases virtually formed aside.

He was nan Revolution’s ‘penman’

Dickinson, a Maryland autochthonal who spent overmuch of his life successful Delaware and Pennsylvania, was erstwhile regarded arsenic among nan astir important and inspiring founders. His “Letters from a Farmer successful Pennsylvania,” a twelve missives published successful nan 1760s, were wide publication attacks against Britain’s correct to taxation nan colonies that helped springiness Americans a shared consciousness of personality and purpose. He moreover wrote nan words to 1 of nan country’s first patriotic anthems, “The Liberty Song.”

Admirers would telephone him nan “Penman of nan Revolution.”

But Dickinson besides sought bid pinch Britain good aft nan first shots were fired astatine Lexington and Concord. In July 1775, he helped constitute nan Olive Branch Petition, a telephone for reconciliation that King George III fundamentally ignored.

When nan Continental Congress voted for independency successful July 1776, Dickinson and chap Pennsylvanian Robert Morris abstained. While Morris later signed nan Declaration, Dickinson withheld his name.

“He wasn’t opposed to independency per se, but he thought it should hap gradually and without bloodshed,” Calvert says.

“America wasn’t prepared successful immoderate sense, including militarily, and location was nary constitution, nary overseas allies, and nary home manufacturing. Neither was location was unanimity connected nan independency question,” Calvert adds. “But arsenic captious arsenic each these things were, Dickinson’s main interest was that location were nary ineligible protections for nan astir susceptible Americans. He was astir worried astir belief dissenters, peculiarly nan Quakers successful Pennsylvania.”

History downgraded him

Dickinson’s estimation arsenic a man much of words than of action has agelong outlasted him.

At nan Signers’ Hall grounds successful Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center, nan Dickinson statue is placed isolated successful a corner, sculpted successful a contemplative pose. Popular storytellers of nan American Revolution, whether documentary shaper Ken Burns aliases “Hamilton” playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, thin to time off Dickinson retired of nan narrative.

He is different a smug Anglophile successful nan philharmonic “1776,” and, successful nan 2008 HBO miniseries astir John Adams, he is portrayed arsenic nan compromising foil to Adams’ militant righteousness.

“It’s beautiful egregious,” Calvert says. “He is depicted arsenic a scowling and sunken-eyed naysayer of nan Patriot cause. We cognize that he was a compelling and charismatic figure, well-liked among his colleagues and seen arsenic a devoted Patriot leader. He did not deterioration a wig, don fancy clothes, locomotion pinch a cane aliases speak pinch a Scottish brogue — each things added successful nan show to make him look aristocratic.”

Once independency was declared, Dickinson did not discontinue from nationalist life aliases broadside pinch nan British, but served successful nan Pennsylvania and Delaware militias. He helped draught nan June 1776 Articles of Confederation, supported nan U.S. Constitution arsenic a Delaware delegate and served arsenic nan president of Delaware and of Pennsylvania.

John Trumbull’s 1818 coating depicting nan signing of nan Declaration of Independence connected July 4, 1776.

( Yale University Art Gallery)

Dickinson and his wife, Mary, were nan namesakes for nan first assemblage — based successful Carlisle, Pennsylvania — chartered aft nan founding of nan United States. When he died, successful 1808, then-President Thomas Jefferson called him “one of nan awesome worthies of nan revolution.”

Thank you, ‘South Park’

Dickinson himself would lament that his guidance to nan Declaration was a “finishing blow” to his “diminished popularity.”

Adams was among his detractors, dismissing him arsenic a “piddling brilliant whose fame has been trumpeted truthful loudly.” In nan 1840s, Calvert says, historiographer George Bancroft helped seal Dickinson’s bequest by condemning him for really he “dulled nan resentment of nan people, and paralyzed nan manly impulse of self-sacrificing courage.”

Calvert has not been unsocial successful defending Dickinson. His different advocates scope from nan precocious blimpish commentator William Murchison, writer of a 2013 curriculum vitae that cites Calvert’s research, to specified historians-Dickinson Project editors arsenic Ian Iverson and Nathan R. Kozuskanich.

Calvert moreover praises nan creators of “South Park” for an section aired successful 2003, during nan Iraq War. As supporters and protesters clash, Cartman travels backmost to 1776, witnesses nan independency statement and finds parallels to nan present.

“It’s nan only popular civilization practice of Dickinson I’ve seen that portrays him arsenic being motivated by rule — that we shouldn’t recovered a state based connected war,” Calvert says.

“Here Dickinson is nan forefather of those antiwar protesters,” Calvert says. “Whether he would person gone truthful acold arsenic to opportunity that nan reasons for nan Revolution were trumped up, I don’t know. Maybe. In immoderate case, location is simply a batch to like!”

Italie writes for nan Associated Press.