During the years 1764 through 1766, John Dickinson became a leading figure in the Pennsylvania Assembly and in the growing American resistance to unjust British taxation. The documents in this volume show that, in both roles, he sought to protect the fundamental rights of ordinary Americans. In the 1764 Assembly, after working to punish those responsible for the slaughter of peaceful Indians, Dickinson challenged Benjamin Franklin and Joseph Galloway in their plan to abolish Pennsylvania’s unique Quaker constitution that secured liberty of conscience and place the colony under the control of the Crown. Then, in 1765, he served as primary draftsman at the Stamp Act Congress in New York, producing the first official American documents of the Revolutionary Era. In his private capacity, Dickinson continued to write through 1765 and 1766, publishing, among other documents, the first practical advice to Americans on how to resist Great Britain. The present volume also contains draft legislation, fascinating case notes from his legal practice, and personal correspondence.

Table of Contents:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  INTRODUCTION  EDITORIAL METHODOLOGY  ABBREVIATIONS AND SHORT TITLES  1764 1. “To Be Lett,” The Pennsylvania Gazette, January 5  2. Draft of “An Act for the Payment of Ten Thousand Nine Hundred and Forty-Seven Pounds Sterling in Certain Proportions to Several Colonies in America,” [January 6–10]  3. Draft Notes for Debate in the Assembly over Ways and Means of Raising Funds, [January 12–February 1]  4. JD et al., Reply to the Governor’s Message, January 20 5. From Jacob Gooding, January 21  6. Edits on a Draft of “A Supplement to the Act, Intituled, ‘An Act for Taking Lands in Execution for Payment of Debts,’” [January 27–February 3]  7. Draft of “An Act for restraining Lunaticks,” [c. January]  8. JD and Joseph Galloway, “An Act for Preventing Tumults and Riotous As-semblies, and for the More Speedy and Effectual Punishing the Rioters,” February 3  9. “A Letter to the Inhabitants of the Frontiers on Their Intended Expedition Against the Indians Under the Protection of the Government,” [February 3–9]  10. Opinion on Charles Marshall’s Title to Land in Worcester, Philadelphia County, February 8  11. To Isaac Norris, February 9  12. To Isaac Norris, February 9  13. From William Allason, February 18  14. To Isaac Norris, February 29  15. JD et al., Report on Jeffery Amherst’s Letters, March 3  16. Draft of “Protest in the Assembly against the Clause for Making Paper Bills of Credit a Legal Tender in Payment of All Contracts ‘Proprietary Sterling Rents Only Excepted,’” March [10–13] 17. From Hannah Moland, April 9  18. From Gilbert Barkly, June 2  19. JD and [William Smith], A Speech, Delivered in the House of Assembly in the Province of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: William Bradford, [June 29]  20. Anonymous, The Maybe, Or Some Observations Occasion’d by Reading a Speech Deliver’d in the House of Assembly, the 24th of May. Philadelphia: Anthony Armbruster, [June]  21. “A Protest against a Resolution of the Assembly of Pennsylvania for Petition-ing the King to Change the Colony of Pennsylvania from a Proprietary to a Royal Government,” The Pennsylvania Journal, July 19  22. To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council. Philadelphia: [Henry Miller?], [July]  23. To William Peters, August 3  24. From Nathaniel Smithers, August 16  25. Joseph Galloway and [Benjamin Franklin], The Speech of Joseph Galloway, Esq; One of the Members for Philadelphia County: In Answer to the Speech of John Dickinson, Esq; Delivered in the House of Assembly, May 24, 1764. Philadelphia: William Dunlap, [August 11]  26. To Joseph Galloway, September 1  27. A Reply to a Piece Called the Speech of Joseph Galloway. Philadelphia: Wil-liam Bradford, [September 17]  28. A Receipt to Make a Speech. By J----- G------, Esquire. [Philadelphia: William Bradford, c. September]  29. JD and Unknown, “The Kennel Raker,” [c. September]  30. Excerpt of an Anti-Royal Government Article, The Pennsylvania Journal (supplement), September 27  31. Joseph Galloway, To the Public. Philadelphia: William Dunlap, [September 29]  32. “Last Tuesday Morning . . . ,” Philadelphia: William Bradford, [October 1]  33. Election Announcement: Representative to the Pennsylvania Assembly from Philadelphia County, The Pennsylvania Gazette, October 4  34. Request to the Printer, October 2, The Pennsylvania Gazette,October 4  35. To Hannah Moland, October 4  36. To William Peters, October 10  37. To Isaac Norris, October 24 38. A Protest Presented to the House of Assembly by the Subscribers, at the Close of the Late Debate There, concerning the Sending Mr. Franklin as an Assistant to Our Agent, at the Court of Great-Britain. Philadelphia: William Bradford, [October 26]  39. From Catherine Hutchinson Moland, October 30  40. Review of JD’s Speech Delivered in the House of Assembly in The Critical Review: Or, Annals of Literature,vol. 18 (London: Archibald Hamilton, October): 316–17  41. Review of JD’s Speech Delivered in the House of Assembly in The Monthly Review; Or Literary Journal:By Several Hands, vol. 31 (London: Ralph Griffiths, October 1764): 318  42. [Benjamin Franklin,] Remarks on a Late Protest Against the Appointment of Mr. Franklin an Agent for this Province. [Philadelphia: Benjamin Franklin and David Hall, November 7]  43. Notes for Dominus Rex v. John Bryan and John McManus, November 22  44. Observations on Mr. Franklin’s Remarks on a Late Protest, [November]  45. Notes for Lockerman’s Lessee v. Joseph Liston, [November 23] 46. Notes for Lockerman’s Lessee v. Edmund Liston, [n.d.]  47. Review of JD’s Reply to a Piece Called the Speech of Joseph Galloway in The Critical Review: Or, Annals of Literature, vol. 18 (London: Archibald Hamilton, November): 397  48. Anonymous, Nosum Nosorum: Or, a New Treatise on Large Noses. Philadelphia: [Andrew Steuart]  49. Notes for Susannah White v. John Cloud, [c. 1764]  1765 50. Draft One of “An Act for the Relief of the Poor,” [January 10–15]  51. JD et al., Draft of “An Act for the Relief of the Poor,” January 30 52. Draft of “An Act for the Better Employment, Relief, and Support of Poor,” [January 10–February 7]  53. Reviews of Joseph Galloway’s Speech and JD’s Reply in The Monthly Re-view; Or Literary Journal: By Several Hands, vol. 32 (London: Ralph Griffiths, January): 67–68  54. Notes for Dominus Rex v. Andrew Yeatman, February [19]  55. [Isaac Hunt,] The Bee. No. II (Philadelphia: Anthony Armbruster, February 19)  56. Statement of Daniel Tice in Overseers of Newtown Township v. Overseers of Marple Township, [February 28]  57. Notes for Overseers of Newtown Township v. Overseers of Marple Township, [February 1765]  58. From Edward Lloyd III, March 3  59. Anonymous, The Merit of Mr. Dickinson’s Speech, The Pennsylvania Gazette, March 14  60. From Edward Lloyd III, March 17  61. To William Fisher, Samuel Smith, and Joseph Swift, March 30  62. From Joseph Moland, April 1  63. I.R. [John Hughes], Remarks on JD’s and Joseph Galloway’s Speeches, The Pennsylvania Gazette, April 4  64. From George Garnett, April 15  65. “To Be Sold,” The Pennsylvania Gazette, April 18  66. From Parnel Davenport, April [2–9]  67. To James Humphreys, May 6 68. To Warrick Coats, [c. May–August]  69. The Joint and Several Answers of Warrick Coats, et al., [c. May–August]  70. Interrogatories for Richard Dennis v. Warrick Coats, et al., [c. May–August]  71. Notice of Debt Recovery, The Pennsylvania Gazette, June 13  72. To Mary Cadwalader Dickinson, July 15  73. From Catherine Hutchinson Moland, July 26  74. “To the Electors of Philadelphia County,” The Pennsylvania Gazette, August 8  Documents Related to the Stamp Act Congress  75. Draft One of Instructions to the Committee to the Stamp Act Congress, [Sep-tember 10]  76. Draft Two of Instructions to the Committee to the Stamp Act Congress, [Sep-tember 10]  77. JD et al., “Instructions to the Committee Appointed to Meet the Committees of the other British Colonies at New York,” September 11  78. JD et al., Draft One of the Resolutions of the Pennsylvania Assembly on the Stamp Act, [c. September 20]  79. JD et al., Draft Two of the Resolutions of the Pennsylvania Assembly on the Stamp Act, [September 20–21]  80. JD et al., Draft Three of the Resolutions of the Pennsylvania Assembly on the Stamp Act, September 21  81. JD et al., Resolutions of the Pennsylvania Assembly on the Stamp Act, September 21  82. From Edward Lloyd III, September 23  83. From Thomas W. Moore, October 5  84. To Mary Cadwalader Dickinson, October 7  85. Announcement of Delegates to the Stamp Act Congress, October 7, 1765, The New-York Mercury, October 14  86. Draft One of the Declaration of the Stamp Act Congress, [September 29–October 8]  87. JD et al., Draft Two of the Declaration of the Stamp Act Congress, [October 8–18]  88. JD et al., Draft Three of the Declaration of the Stamp Act Congress, [October 19]  89. JD et al., Fragment of Draft Four of the Declaration of the Stamp Act Congress, [October 19]  90. JD et al., Final Manuscript Version of the Declaration of the Stamp Act Congress, [October 19]  91. Petition to the King from the Stamp Act Congress, October 21, 1765, The Pennsylvania Gazette, April 24, 1766  ************************************************ 92. “Friends and Countrymen,” Philadelphia: Benjamin Franklin and David Hall, [November]  93. The Late Regulations Respecting the British Colonies on the Continent of America Considered in a Letter from a Gentleman in Philadelphia to his Friend in London. Philadelphia: William Bradford, [December 7]  94. From Samuel Pike, December 14  95. Draft to William Pitt, December 21  96. To William Pitt, December 21  97. From John St. Clair, December 23  98. Notes for Lessee of Peter Sigfreidus Alricks v. David Stewart, [c. 1765]  1766 99. To Francis Alison, January 10  100. From Samuel Pike, February 8  101. From Robert Smith, February 11  102. Advertisement for Late Regulations Respecting the British Colonies on the Continent of North America, The London Evening Post, February 20  103. Essay on a Report Concerning the Petition for a Change of Government, [March]  104. From S[amuel] M[orris], [March 1–19]  105. The Sons of Liberty, “The Sons of Liberty in the County of Sussex, on Del-aware, to the Sons of Liberty Residing in the Northern and Southern Colo-nies,” The Pennsylvania Gazette, April 3  106. From William Allason, April 24  107. Notes for Samuel Pike’s Lessee v. Samuel Hoare, [c. April]  108. Anonymous, “Extract of a Letter from London,” The Pennsylvania Gazette, May 22  109. From William Samuel Johnson, May 24  110. From Elizabeth Moland St. Clair, May 26  111. Draft Address to the Committee of Correspondence in Barbados, [May 1–19]  112. From S[amuel] M[orris], [May 1–19]  113. To William Bradford, [c. May 21–31]  114. Summary, Queries, and Responses for Brandywine Hundred v. Christiana Hundred, [May]  115. Notes for Brandywine Hundred v. Christiana Hundred, [c. May]  116. A North-American [JD], An Address to the Committee of Correspondence in Barbados. Occasioned by a Late Letter from Them to Their Agent in London. Philadelphia: William Bradford, [c. May 21–June 1]  117. From Joseph Reed, June 2  118. From Christopher Gadsden, June 22  119. A Barbadian [Kenneth Morrison], An Essay Towards the Vindication of the Committee of Correspondence in Barbados. Barbados: George Esmand, [June–August]  120. From John Williams, July 6  121. To George Read, July 9  122. To John Baynton, Samuel Wharton, and George Morgan, July 10  123. To James Sayre, July 11  124. From George Read, July 28  125. A Native of the Island [John Gay Alleyne], A Letter to the North American, on Occasion of his Address to the Committee of Correspondence in Barbados. Barbados: George Esmand, [July–August]  126. A Native of Barbados, Candid Observation on Two Pamphlets Lately Published. Barbados: George Esmand, [July–August]  127. From Catherine Hutchinson Moland, August 8  128. From Elizabeth Moland St. Clair, September 4  129. From John Williams, September 30  130. From John St. Clair, October 12  131. To Thomas Adam, October 22  132. From John St. Clair, October 24  133. From Henry Melchior Mühlenberg, October 27  134. From Elizabeth Moland St. Clair, October  135. Draft of “An Act for the Better Securing the Estates of Persons Deceased,” [January 1765–October 1766]  136. Jack Northwester [Isaac Hunt], The Birth, Parentage, and Education, of Praise-God Barebone. To Which is Added, An Election Ballad, or The Lamentation of Miss *******. A True but Doleful Ditty. [Philadelphia: Andrew Steuart, c. October]  137. From Edmund Jenings, November 10  138. From Edward Lloyd III, November 15  139. “Opinion on Notes Emitted by Some Merchants,” December  APPENDICES  INDEX