The Second Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776 with 12 colonies and one abstention. The delegation from New York abstained from the vote. And Pennsylvania voted in favor of independence because two of its delegates were persuaded not to attend the vote given their opposition.

John Dickinson was one of the two delegates who absented himself from the vote. Later, he would refuse to sign the Declaration of Independence. But why?  


Jane Calvert, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Kentucky and the Director/Editor of The John Dickinson Writings Project, joins us to explore the life, religion, and political views of John Dickinson. 


Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/258

 

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Complementary Episodes

• Episode 088: Michael McDonnell, The History of History Writing
• Episode 145: Rosemarie Zagarri, Mercy Otis Warren and the American Revolution
• Episode 150: Woody Holton, Abigail Adams: Revolutionary Speculator
• Episode 153: Committees and Congresses: Governments of the American Revolution
• Episode 160: The Politics of Tea
• Episode 179: George Van Cleve, Governance During the Critical Period 
• Episode 229: Patrick Griffin, The Townshend Moment

 

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