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.
• First comprehensive analysis of the political thought of John Dickinson, one of the founders of the American Republic and signers of the Constitution • Also the first exposition of Quaker political theory • Explores the origins of the practice of civil disobedience
Contents
Part I. Foundational Theories and Structures, 1652–1681: 1. Theology and ecclesiology: the origins of Quaker constitutionalism and civil disobedience; 2. A sacred institution: the Quaker theory of civil government; Part II. Practical Expressions in Pennsylvania, 1681–1763: 3. 'Dissenters in our own country': constituting a Quaker government; 4. Civil unity and the 'seeds of dissension': in the golden age of Quaker theocracy; 5. The fruits of Quaker dissent: political schism and the rise of John Dickinson; Part III. The Americanization of Quaker Political Thought, 1763–1789: 6. Turbulent but pacific: 'Dickinsonian politics' in the American Revolution; 7. 'The worthy against the licentious': the critical period in Pennsylvania; 8. 'The political rock of our salvation': the US constitution according to John Dickinson.
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