The Moderate Revolutionary – Adam Tate

Jane E. Calvert's new book The Penman of the Founding is an important recovery of John Dickinson's political legacy.

John Dickinson served in Pennsylvania ’s colonial assembly and served in the governments of Pennsylvania and Delaware , the Continental Congress , and at the Philadelphia Convention .

Frida Ghitis : The Pennsylvania patriot earned a reputation for moderation, but that can sometimes cloud his commitment to revolutionary principles.

Ghitis says previous treatments of Dickinson have been lacking because scholars have not had access to all his papers.

Frida Ghitis: Dickinson believed Congress should simultaneously petition the King for negotiations while preparing for military action.

She says Dickinson opposed independence while working toward uniting the colonies.

Ghitis says Dickinson 's politics were profoundly shaped by his understanding of the limits of political action.

But, she says, we should be aware that his political approach bears some risks, Ghitis writes.

In his trimming ways, the “ Penman of the Revolution ” profoundly shaped the paths that the new republic would tread.

Dickinson appreciated popular rule but opposed unbridled democracy.