Ben Franklin's world.

The podcast dedicated to helping you,

learn more about how the people and events of our early American past have shaped the present day world we live in.

And I'm your host, Liz Kovart.

Have you ever looked at the journals for the Continental Congress and explored the vote for independence. It's actually quite fascinating.

The Second Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776, with 12 colonies

voting in favor for independence and one abstaining from the vote.

Now the abstention came from the New York delegation.

The New York delegates felt they lack permission to vote on the subject from the New York Provincial

Congress, so they opted not to vote on July 2nd.

Instead, they waited until they had permission to vote

and then voted in favor for independence on July 9.

And that brings us to Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania was able to vote in favor for independence and do so unanimously,

because two of its delegates who were opposed to the matter

were persuaded not to attend the vote.

And one of those two delegates was John Dickinson.

Dickinson not only absented himself from the vote,

but later he would refuse to sign the Declaration of Independence.

But why?

Jane Calvert, an associate professor of history at the University of Kentucky, and the director and editor of the John Dickinson Writing Project, joins us to explore the life, religion, and political views of John Dickinson.

Now, during our conversation, Jane reveals information about John Dickinson's

...