Dissenters in Our Own Country: Eighteenth-Century Quakerism and the Origins of American Civil Disobedience

FAIN: FT-53498-05

Jane E. Calvert
St. Mary's College of Maryland (St. Mary's City, MD 20686-3001)

Eighteenth-century Quakers developed a distinctive strain of political thought based on their theology, the hallmark of which was a twin emphasis on constitutional perpetuity and a systematic process of civil disobedience and legal action to achieve governmental reform. This philosophy was related to, but distinct from, the Whiggism that dominated early American political thought; and it was a unique and vital force in American politics. Not only were Quaker methods used as the first means to resist England before the Revolution, the Quaker contribution to the American dissenting tradition subsequently shaped the thought and practice of the greatest reformers in American history, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, William Lloyd Garrison, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Associated Products

Quaker Constitutionalism and the Political Thought of John Dickinson (Book)
Title: Quaker Constitutionalism and the Political Thought of John Dickinson
Author: Jane E. Calvert
Abstract: In the late-17th century, Quakers originated a unique strain of constitutionalism, based on their theology and ecclesiology, which emphasized constitutional perpetuity and radical change through popular peaceful protest. While Whigs could imagine no other means of drastic constitutional reform except revolution, Quakers denied this as a legitimate option to governmental abuse of authority and advocated instead civil disobedience. This theory of a perpetual yet amendable constitution and its concomitant idea of popular sovereignty are things that most scholars believe did not exist until the American Founding. The most notable advocate of this theory 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.
Year: 2009
Primary URL: http://www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/isbn/item1174932/?site_locale=en_GB
Primary URL Description: This URL takes the user to the publisher's Website with a description of the book.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9780521884365

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