Scholar marks 250th by reviving writings of founder who didn't sign Declaration

John Dickinson Writings Project aims to make his works widely available

For a quarter century, Jane Calvert has been on a mission shared by few scholars of the Revolutionary War era: championing John Dickinson, a founder mostly remembered, when remembered at all, as the man who wouldn’t sign the Declaration of Independence.

“It has been a constant struggle,” Calvert said. She is a former associate professor at the University of Kentucky and the founder of the John Dickinson Writings Project, which aims to make his works widely available.

For much of the country, the 250th anniversary of independence is a time for celebrating and debating the nation’s birth. But for Calvert and others, it is also a moment to challenge the lingering image of a figure who at times has been ignored, ridiculed or literally cast aside.