John Dickinson

A collection of short stories exposing human nature as mechanistic. The backdrop of our evolution is first painted via a quixotic character’s mission to alert his neighbourhood to coming doom. Two stories then follow different trajectories from the same inflection point of our shifting culture. One has doom averted, another careers towards the prophesied doom. Intimate tales follow, evoking both unseemly and more humane aspects of our nature. The central story, the dark heart, turns, presenting pathological behaviours as seen from the gene’s eye view and as resulting from forces that created us to be the gene-serving ape-machines we are. Further elaborating stories lead deeper into our psychology, dissecting the assumptions we make about ourselves and others. Projections are reflected back. We are challenged to justify our beliefs, and to confront a seemingly bleak view: that of a deterministic universe in which we evolved not for our wellbeing, but to propagate immortal genes. The final story in the collection imagines a future in which an evolved culture helps us better live with our evolved natures. Mechanical devices and scientific concepts are embraced in story titles, anchoring the narratives in the mechanistic character of human nature. The natural world reverberates throughout what is, ultimately, a humane vision.

In 1767, John Dickinson began publishing his twelve Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, which earned him international celebrity as the leader of the American resistance to Britain. They educated Americans about their rights and how to defend them without violence. Importantly, they also taught the colonists to unite and understand themselves first and foremost as Americans rather than as Britons. He followed with letters on religious liberty in the Episcopal controversy and America's first patriotic song, the "Liberty Song." This volume documents the overwhelming public response around the Atlantic World to his writings. It was largely positive, with readers paying tribute to him in numerous ways, beginning with the Massachusetts circular letter to the other colonies advocating a nonimportation agreement. Most of the negative responses came from Dickinson's enemy from the 1764 royal government controversy in Pennsylvania, Joseph Galloway, who orchestrated a smear campaign against "the Farmer." Dickinson's legal notes from this period include several interesting cases, such as his defense of a mixed-race servant woman charged with infanticide. Although there is limited extant correspondence, it includes letters concerning his courtship of his future wife, Mary Norris.

A flicker of candlelight glows on a wooden desk, illuminating ink-stained pages that dared to question an empire. In the tumultuous years before revolution, these colonial American essays became a lifeline for a restless people, articulating grievances and igniting hope across the pre-revolutionary colonies. With piercing clarity, this political pamphlet confronts the heart of eighteenth-century America's struggle: the injustice of taxation without representation and the tightening grip of British colonial policies. Each letter pulses with the urgency of a society on the brink, offering a rare window into the daily anxieties and mounting resolve that shaped the American independence movement. Restored for today's and future generations, this edition stands as both a political science reference and a living testament to the power of the written word in forging national identity. Its arguments, as resonant as those found in the Federalist Papers or Thomas Paine's Common Sense, laid the intellectual groundwork for a revolution that would echo through the centuries. The prose, elegant yet unyielding, invites history students and curious readers alike to experience the raw debates that fuelled a continent's transformation. More than a historical document, it is a cultural touchstone-an essential companion for anyone fascinated by revolutionary era writings or the evolution of British colonial policies. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure. Whether you are building a classic collection or seeking to understand the origins of liberty, these pages offer an unfiltered glimpse into the passions and principles that shaped a nation, making it indispensable for both casual readers and dedicated scholars of American independence.

John Dickinson’s entry into public life in Delaware and Pennsylvania is a highlight of the ninety-eight documents written over four years printed in Volume Two of The Complete Writings and Selected Correspondence of John Dickinson. The volume opens with Dickinson’s legal notes as he established himself as one of the most prominent and learned lawyers in colonial British North America. His cases dealt with, among other issues, interpretation of wills, disputes over land, sailors suing for wages, a fine on a Quaker who refused military service, and a notorious murder in a prominent Philadelphia family. It concludes with Dickinson offering thoughtful advice to a young man who was considering the arduous work in becoming a lawyer. “I think,” he wrote, “those must be infinitely the most happy, whose fatigues are softend by a conscious Benevolence of mind wishing & endeavouring to [pro]mote the Happiness of others as well as their own.” Dickinson’s hard work on behalf of his clients brought him success in other areas of his public life. In October 1759, he was elected to his first public position as a representative for Kent County, Del., the following year he was elevated to the position of speaker, and in 1762, he became a representative for Philadelphia County, Pa. As a legislator in two colonies, learning his craft as a global war unfolded, he contributed to bills on military and defense, Indian relations, infrastructure improvements and city management, and served on various committees. The death of George II occasioned debates over laws and judges, in which Dickinson participated. This era concludes with Dickinson playing a central role in managing the unfolding Paxton Riots, in which frontiersmen massacred peaceful Indians and threatened the Quaker leadership of Pennsylvania. In private, Dickinson lost the two most prominent male figures in his life in 1760, his father, Samuel, and soon thereafter, his mentor, colleague, and friend, John Moland. In honor of Moland, Dickinson published a poem and became a proxy head to Moland’s large family. Though his extant correspondence during this period is small, he exchanged letters with Mary Cadwalader Dickinson, Israel Pemberton, William Allason, George Read, Thomas McKean, and others. Perhaps most significant, he wrote a lengthy, unpublished essay on the flag-of-truce trade and also maintained commonplace books as he considered his place within the British Empire, opening up the next phase in Dickinson’s life as a leader of the resistance against Britain. Published by the University of Delaware Press. Distributed worldwide by Rutgers University Press.

An Essay on the Constitutional Power of Great-Britain - over the colonies in America: with the resolves of the Committee for the Province of Pennsylvania, and their instructions to their representatives in Assembly is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1774. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania - to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1774. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

Reproduction of the original: Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania, to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies by John Dickinson

Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania - to the inhabitants of the British colonies - Vol. 1 is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1768. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.