The William and Mary Quarterly forum on the recently discovered John Dickinson documents, revealing his previously unknown secret attempt to prevent the American Revolution, is now available online! The WMQ has generously made the issue open access for the next month. muse.jhu.edu/issue/57168

Good to be reminded that, on some of the most-studied phenomena of history, the work of bringing actual documentary evidence to light continues. We don't already know everything. We can keep looking.

Jonathan Gienapp@jgienapp.bsky.social · 7d ago

The William and Mary Quarterly forum on the recently discovered John Dickinson documents, revealing his previously unknown secret attempt to prevent the American Revolution, is now available online! The WMQ has generously made the issue open access for the next month. muse.jhu.edu/issue/57168

Well done, all around, WMQ.

Jonathan Gienapp@jgienapp.bsky.social · 7d ago

The William and Mary Quarterly forum on the recently discovered John Dickinson documents, revealing his previously unknown secret attempt to prevent the American Revolution, is now available online! The WMQ has generously made the issue open access for the next month. muse.jhu.edu/issue/57168

Having contributed to this Forum, there are many great things one can say about it. One of the most important is that it enables readers to view the deepening crisis of 1775 from a genuinely Anglo-American perspective, illuminating the calculations and miscalculations on both sides of the Atlantic.

Jonathan Gienapp@jgienapp.bsky.social · 7d ago

The William and Mary Quarterly forum on the recently discovered John Dickinson documents, revealing his previously unknown secret attempt to prevent the American Revolution, is now available online! The WMQ has generously made the issue open access for the next month. muse.jhu.edu/issue/57168

The William and Mary Quarterly forum on the recently discovered John Dickinson documents, revealing his previously unknown secret attempt to prevent the American Revolution, is now available online! The WMQ has generously made the issue open access for the next month. muse.jhu.edu/issue/57168

The issue is out! Once it’s available online (it’ll be open access for thirty days!), I’ll post about the forum on the Dickinson documents discovery that I was so excited to help organize.

Gautham Rao (pronounced: Knicks in 5)@gauthamrao.bsky.social · 2w ago

An incredible forum in the latest William and Mary Quarterly, spearheaded by Jane E. Calvert and @jgienapp.bsky.social. The contingency of the revolutionary moment can’t be clearer.

An incredible forum in the latest William and Mary Quarterly, spearheaded by Jane E. Calvert and @jgienapp.bsky.social. The contingency of the revolutionary moment can’t be clearer.

Originalism isn’t Originalist! Loved talking with @jgienapp.bsky.social about the real history of how the founding generation understood who decides what our constitution means. Spoiler: not SCOTUS! @courtacctability.bsky.social @meidastouch.com @legalafmtn.bsky.social youtu.be/HikaHUknPMI

An essay by me and Jane Calvert on the John Dickinson documents discovery that reveal his previously unknown secret attempt to prevent the American Revolution. It previews the scholarly forum on the documents that will be published soon. lawliberty.org/the-secret-e...

The Secret Effort to Prevent the Revolution – Jane E. Calvert & Jonathan Gienapp

Newly discovered letters by John Dickinson shed light on his opposition to American independence.

lawliberty.org

More coverage of the discovery of the new Dickinson documents with @jgienapp.bsky.social

The Secret Effort to Prevent the Revolution – Jane E. Calvert & Jonathan Gienapp

Newly discovered letters by John Dickinson shed light on his opposition to American independence.

lawliberty.org

An essay by me and Jane Calvert on the John Dickinson documents discovery that reveal his previously unknown secret attempt to prevent the American Revolution. It previews the scholarly forum on the documents that will be published soon. lawliberty.org/the-secret-e...

The Secret Effort to Prevent the Revolution – Jane E. Calvert & Jonathan Gienapp

Newly discovered letters by John Dickinson shed light on his opposition to American independence.

lawliberty.org

Not every day something you worked on gets on the front page of the print edition of the NYT!

Jonathan Gienapp@jgienapp.bsky.social · last mo.

One of the most incredible things I have ever worked on: Recently discovered documents, written by John Dickinson in 1775, that reveal his secret and previously unknown efforts to prevent the American Revolution. Now featured in the New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/u...

Happy 250th! For an interesting wrinkle to the whole thing, check out the exciting discovery below. 👇🏻

Jonathan Gienapp@jgienapp.bsky.social · last mo.

One of the most incredible things I have ever worked on: Recently discovered documents, written by John Dickinson in 1775, that reveal his secret and previously unknown efforts to prevent the American Revolution. Now featured in the New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/u...

Hoover Research Fellow @jgienapp.bsky.social was part of a team of scholars that authenticated recently discovered documents written by John Dickinson in 1775 that revealed the Founding Father's previously unknown efforts to prevent the American Revolution.

The Founding Father Who Sought a Last-Minute Deal to Avert the Revolution

Recently discovered documents reveal a back-channel attempt by a leader of the Continental Congress to make peace.

nytimes.com

“It’s hard to overstate the significance of this,” says @jgienapp.bsky.social. “This is a very serious attempt by arguably the leading politician in America at the time to broker a peace and prevent the American Revolution from happening that we’ve never known about before.”

The Founding Father Who Sought a Last-Minute Deal to Avert the Revolution

nytimes.com

Before the U.S. Constitution there was the Articles of Confederation, the drafting of which began before independence was even declared. Listen to me and Jane Calvert of @jdproject.bsky.social discuss it with @lizcovart.bsky.social on @bfworld.bsky.social. benfranklinsworld.com/episode-445-...

On this day in 1776, the Second Continental Congress held a vote on whether to declare independence from Great Britain. John Dickinson, who had spoken eloquently against it the day before, knew how the vote would go.

On this day in 1776, driven by conscience, John Dickinson gave his final speech against declaring independence. He was willing to ruin his reputation to save his country. Explaining that he wasn't opposed to independence per se, just the timing, he reiterated his concerns that America wasn't ready.

and, most remarkably, 7) protection women's religious liberty and freedom of public speech. Hear about these things and more on this episode of Ben Franklin's World with Jane Calvert and Jonathan Gienapp:

2) that only Congress could declare war; 3) no government officer could accept gifts from foreign leaders or heads of state; 4) no standing army; 6) a query suggesting slavery ought to be abolished;

In June 1776, John Dickinson made the most revolutionary contribution to the American Revolution. He wrote a draft of the Articles of Confederation intended to protect Americans' most basic rights. Among the key provisions were 1) a strong central government to which the states would be subordinate;

What better as an inaugural post than to announce the publication of an article in the NYT about the work of the John Dickinson Writings Project and the discovery of several remarkable new Dickinson documents?

The Founding Father Who Sought a Last-Minute Deal to Avert the Revolution

nytimes.com

One of the most incredible things I have ever worked on: Recently discovered documents, written by John Dickinson in 1775, that reveal his secret and previously unknown efforts to prevent the American Revolution. Now featured in the New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/u...

A Founder’s Previously Unknown Attempt to Avert the Revolutionary War

nytimes.com

woah. as i like to say, one has to make room for both T Paine & J Dickinson. JD was at every major deliberation from the stamp act congress thru 87, yet refused to sign the declaration. a man running PA and DE at the same time cannot be called unrepresentative. the revolution was big & complex.

Jonathan Gienapp@jgienapp.bsky.social · last mo.

One of the most incredible things I have ever worked on: Recently discovered documents, written by John Dickinson in 1775, that reveal his secret and previously unknown efforts to prevent the American Revolution. Now featured in the New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/u...

In honor of the last regular decision day of this appalling #SCOTUS term, @talkingpointsmemo.com has an adapted excerpt from my forthcoming book, The Political Supreme Court. Put it in your pocket for the next time someone tells you the justices are apolitical or calling balls & strikes.

For Most of Its History, the Supreme Court Didn’t Pretend to Be Apolitical

Today’s Supreme Court justices insist that they are not “politicians in robes”...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Amazing research! Come for the efforts to prevent the Revolution, stay for the ALEC-style 18th century legislative lobbying (including a draft bill)

Jonathan Gienapp@jgienapp.bsky.social · last mo.

One of the most incredible things I have ever worked on: Recently discovered documents, written by John Dickinson in 1775, that reveal his secret and previously unknown efforts to prevent the American Revolution. Now featured in the New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/u...

Major props to the WMQ team, led by @juliagaffield.bsky.social and Meg Musselwhite, who moved heaven and earth to get the documents online by today. The WMQ has been amazing from start to finish. @oieahc.bsky.social

Jonathan Gienapp@jgienapp.bsky.social · last mo.

The documents, and a set of interpretive essays, will soon be published in a forum in the William and Mary Quarterly coinciding with the 250th of U.S. independence. Until then, the WMQ have made the transcripts of the documents available for viewing. oireader.wm.edu/open_wmq/the...

Amazing find. Come for the fascinating glimpse into the mind of John Dickinson as the colonies careened toward war with the mother country. Stay for the little page-turney sound thing that the OI reader does when you "flip" through the electronic pages.💾

Jonathan Gienapp@jgienapp.bsky.social · last mo.

The documents, and a set of interpretive essays, will soon be published in a forum in the William and Mary Quarterly coinciding with the 250th of U.S. independence. Until then, the WMQ have made the transcripts of the documents available for viewing. oireader.wm.edu/open_wmq/the...

Hey, I saw "1776" - I already knew about Dickinson

Jonathan Gienapp@jgienapp.bsky.social · last mo.

One of the most incredible things I have ever worked on: Recently discovered documents, written by John Dickinson in 1775, that reveal his secret and previously unknown efforts to prevent the American Revolution. Now featured in the New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/u...