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Quaker Constitutionalism and the Political Thought
of John Dickinson
In the late seventeenth century, Quakers originated a unique strain of con-
stitutionalism, based on their theology and ecclesiology, that emphasized
constitutional perpetuity and radical change through popular peaceful pro-
test. While Whigs could imagine no other means of drastic constitutional
reform except revolution, Quakers denied this as a legitimate option to halt
governmental abuse of authority and advocated instead civil disobedience.
This theory of a perpetual yet amendable constitution and its itant
idea of popular sovereignty are things that most scholars believe did not
exist until the American Founding. The most notable advocate of this the-
ory 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.
Jane E. Calvert received her . from the University of Chicago in 2003
and is currently assistant professor of history at the University of Ken-
tucky. Her articles and reviews have been published in History of Politi-
cal Thought, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, History
Compass, Annali di storia dell’ esegesi, Quaker Religious Thought, Jour-
nal of Religion, Quaker History,andPennsylvania History. She has also
received fellowships and grants from the University of Chicago (1996–
99, 1999, 2001, 2002); Haverford College (2000); the pany
of Philadelphia/Historical Society of Pennsylvania (2002); the Newberry
Library (2005); the National Endowment for the Humanities (2005); the
American Philosophical Society (2006); the Huntington Library (2006);
and the David Library of the American Revolution (2007). She is currently
working on a