Quaker constitutionalism and the political thought of John Dickinson
- Author/Creator:
- Calvert, Jane E., 1970- author
- Publication/Creation:
- Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2009
- Resource Type:
- Book
More Details
Additional/Related Title Information
- Full Title:
- Quaker constitutionalism and the political thought of John Dickinson / Jane E. Calvert
- Variant Titles:
- Quaker Constitutionalism & the Political Thought of John Dickinson
Subjects/Genre
- Genre:
- Biographies
Electronic books - Subjects:
- Dickinson, John,1732-1808--Political and social views
Quakers--Political activity--United States--History--18th century
Constitutional history--United States
Political science--United States--History--18th century
Legislators--United States--Biography
Quakers--Pennsylvania--Biography
United States--Politics and government--1775-1783
United States--Politics and government--1783-1809
Pennsylvania--Politics and government--1775-1865
Delaware--Politics and government--1775-1865
Description/Summary
- Table of Contents:
- Quaker constitutionalism in theory and practice, c.1652-1763 -- Bureaucratic libertines : the origins of Quaker constitutionalism and civil dissent -- A sacred institution : the Quaker theory of a civil constitution -- "Dissenters in our own country" : constituting a Quaker government in Pennsylvania -- Civil unity and the "seeds of dissention" in the golden age of Quaker theocracy -- The fruits of Quaker dissent : political schism and the rise of John Dickinson -- The political Quakerism of John Dickinson, 1763-1789 -- Turbulent but pacific : "Dickinsonian politics" in the American Revolution -- "The worthy against the licentious" : the critical period in Pennsylvania -- "The political rock of our salvation" : the U.S. Constitution according to John Dickinson -- Epilogue: The persistence of Quaker constitutionalism, 1789-1963.
- Summary:
- In the late-seventeenth century, Quakers originated a unique strain of constitutionalism, based on their theology and ecclesiology, which emphasized constitutional perpetuity and radical change through popular peaceful protest. While Whigs could imagine no other means of drastic constitutional reform except revolution, Quakers denied this as a legitimate option to governmental abuse of authority and advocated instead civil disobedience. This theory of a perpetual yet amendable constitution and its concomitant idea of popular sovereignty are things that most scholars believe did not exist until the American Founding. The most notable advocate of this theory was Founding Father John Dickinson, champion of American rights, but not revolution. His thought and action have been misunderstood until now, when they are placed within the Quaker tradition. This theory of Quaker constitutionalism can be traced in a clear and direct line from early Quakers through Dickinson to Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Language:
- English
- Physical Type/Description:
- 1 online resource (xiv, 382 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)
- General Note:
- Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).
- Local Note:
- Available to current Emory faculty, students and staff.
Additional Identifiers
- Catalog ID (MMSID):
- 9937699964602486
- ISBN:
- 9780511575426
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