Dickinson and Quakerism

Hours: 50

My task last week was to continue to broaden my knowledge of the history of John Dickinson, the JDP, and the enslaved, indentured, and free people who labored and lived on or around the JDP. One of the main focuses the past couple of days was to learn a bit more about the religious background, that of Quakers, Dickinson grew up around while young. One of the documents the resources that I utilized this week for research was Jane E. Calvert’s book Quaker Constitutionalism and the Political Thought of John Dickinson (2009). There were very helpful excerpts which delved into the Quaker faith, stemming back to its beginnings in the 17^th century to Dickinson’s time of political activism during the American Revolution.

Having this background, it is important to note that John Dickinson, at a certain time in his life, did not affiliate himself with Quaker beliefs. Being that he owned slaves, this reality sets him apart from many other Quakers at the time who were opposed to enslaving another human being. Though this does not deal with the enslaved and indentured people in Dickinson’s realm themselves, the religion and beliefs from people who surrounded Dickinson during certain points in his life are something that I found pertinent to my research and something that I can reflect on once I can unearth more historical information about his estate and his practices.

The Friends Meeting House in Wilmington, DE. Quakers of DE met there for congregations in the 19^th century. https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/de2.htm

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