John Dickenson, “letter from a farmer in Pennsylvania” (1767)
John Dickinson who wrote Letters from a Farmer lived from 1732-1808. He was also known as a moderate before signing The Declaration of Independence in 1776. John Dickenson was opposed to breaking away from England and believed in the rights of Englishmen. He viewed the attempts of taxation on the colonists as violations of the rights he believed he was afforded as an English man and opposed them. However, he did not advocate violence or separation from England. After the passage of the Townshend Acts in 1767, Dickinson wrote a series of twelve weekly Letters from a Farmer from Pennsylvania to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies. The first of the twelve letters appeared in the Pennsylvania Chronicle and Universal Advertiser for November 30-December 3, 1767. These letters discussed the attitude the British Parliament assumed toward the American colonies and became so popular and well-liked/supported that many colonial newspapers reprinted them.
I picked the primary document Letter from a Farmer in Pennsylvania because it showcases the mindset of Americans at the time, visible by the overall enthusiasm the letters were met by. In a time where so much change is happening and has already happened in America, it’s interesting to see the growing independence and overall feeling of separation from England. In direct opposition, you also see how England abused the colonies through over-taxation and the lack of representation in parliament. All of this culminates in America declaring its independence from England and establishing itself as a country.
Save your time!
We can take care of your essay
- Proper editing and formatting
- Free revision, title page, and bibliography
- Flexible prices and money-back guarantee
The Wonders of the Invisible World
Cotton Mather who wrote The wonders of the Invisible World was born in Boston and educated at Harvard College which is now better known as now Harvard University. He served with his father in the ministry of Boston's North Church from 1685 until his father Increase Mather died in 1723 where after his death Cotton Mather served as the sole pastor until his death. The Wonders of the Invisible World used to justify the Salem trials, was followed in by a work entitled More Wonders of the Invisible World. Compiled by Robert Calef, a man skeptical and very disturbed by the accusations of witchcraft. It contained his account, written in 1693, Mather's investigations of a girl he believed bewitched. In the book, The Wonders of the Invisible World Cotton Mather includes excerpts from the trial of Bridget Bishop, who was from Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. She kept a wayside tavern and held property in the town which more than likely made her a target. In that time period, any woman who was seen as independent and without the need of a man was already ostracized and looked at differently. She would end up being the first witch to be tried and executed.
I chose The Wonders of the Invisible World because just like Letter from a Farmer in Pennsylvania shows a distinct view that someone held. Those views lead/contributed to the influence of many people to think and respond in a similar manner. The power of suggestion and the supernatural explanations for scientific phenomena are other reasons I chose this work of literature. The suggestions like religious figures such as Cotton Mather made, during the Salem witch trials, to explain what at the time hadn’t yet been explained through science show the effect suggestion can have on a collective group and influence a town and community as a whole. The paranormal aspect of witchcraft contributes to my own interest in this topic as well because even though science explains a large portion of today’s mysteries, I would still like to imagine that there is more magic in the world.
The Declaration of Independence
On June 7, 1776, after years of escalating tensions between England and America, the colonies she claimed, Richard Henry Lee submitted to the Second Continental Congress a resolution to declare the American colonies as independent from their parent country England on June 7, 1776. Even before 1776, the American colonies had rejected the oppressive and abusive rule of Brittan’s parliament. One example of this is seen through England’s attempts to tax the colonies without having any representation in parliament. However, even with the years of turmoil there still seemed to be no conclusion. So, with no consensus, Congress delayed the vote and instead appointed a committee to write The Declaration of Independence. This committee consisted of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston although it was largely in part written by Jefferson. The committee’s draft would be submitted on June 28, 1776. On July 2 after much debate, secret meetings, New York abstaining, and in addition to some late arrivals, there were enough delegates in attendance for a vote towards independence. The declaration would later be officially be printed and copies would be made on the 4th thus the date stayed the 4th of July and would become America’s day of independence.
I chose the declaration of independence because I don’t think I truly know enough about it and what all went into declaring America’s independence. Being an American citizen, it should be important to not only me but every American because, without it, the world itself would be a vastly different place. I wouldn’t have the freedoms and liberties I have today if The Declaration of Independence hadn’t been willed into existence by the American people. In addition, the overall political climate has shifted so much recently, that I felt it more advantageous to spend time thinking about what the core views of an American should be based off of the content of The Declaration of Independence and what many people are willing to give up while forgetting about what we sacrificed to attain those freedoms.
Bibliography
- Dickinson, John. 'Letters from a Farmer from Pennsylvania.' In The American Revolution. American Journey. Woodbridge, CT: Primary Source Media, 1999. Gale In Context: U.S. History (accessed September 12, 2019). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ2153000221/UHIC?u=nclivecoacc&sid=UHIC&xid=fa49da32
- 'Dickinson, John.' In Primary Sources, edited by Barbara Bigelow, Stacy A. McConnell, and Linda Schmittroth, 63-70. Vol. 4 of American Revolution Reference Library. Detroit, MI: UXL, 2000. Gale In Context: U.S. History (accessed September 12, 2019). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3411900113/UHIC?u=nclivecoacc&sid=UHIC&xid=0bc4bfa.
- “Mather, Cotton.” Issues & Controversies in American History. Infobase. https://icah.infobaselearning.com/icahencyarticle.aspx?ID=14350 (accessed September 12, 2019).
- 'Mather, Cotton, Cheever, Ezekiel, and Sewall, Samuel.' In Primary Sources, edited by Peggy Saari and Julie L. Carnegie, 145-158. Vol. 5 of Colonial America Reference Library. Detroit, MI: UXL, 2000. Gale In Context: U.S. History (accessed September 12, 2019). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3425300134/UHIC?u=nclivecoacc&sid=UHIC&xid=f772401.
- “Mather, Cotton.” Issues & Controversies in American History. Infobase. https://icah.infobaselearning.com/icahencyarticle.aspx?ID=14350 (accessed September 12, 2019).
- 'Cotton Mather.' In Encyclopedia of World Biography Online. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1998. Gale In Context: U.S. History (accessed September 13, 2019). https://link-gale-com.proxy042.nclive.org/apps/doc/K1631004353/UHIC?u=nclivecoacc&sid=UHIC&xid=5bd7b3c8.
- Jefferson, Thomas. 'Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.' In The American Revolution. American Journey. Woodbridge, CT: Primary Source Media, 1999. Gale In Context: U.S. History (accessed September 12, 2019). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ2153000045/UHIC?u=nclivecoacc&sid=UHIC&xid=9bd89eff.
- 'Signers of the Declaration of Independence.' In Historic World Leaders, edited by Anne Commire. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1994. Gale In Context: U.S. History (accessed September 13, 2019). https://link-gale-com.proxy042.nclive.org/apps/doc/K1616000009/UHIC?u=nclivecoacc&sid=UHIC&xid=8f7a65a5.
- Shi, David E. America: the Essential Learning Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2018.
Stuck on your essay?
