After studying the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence, I showed my 8th grade classes the Broadway musical ‘1776.’ John Dickinson seemed like the film’s villain, opposing John Adams every chance he got- but it turns out, he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

Remember this guy, Pennsylvania delegate John Dickinson who almost sunk the Declaration? He showed courage by enlisting in the army to fight on the American side, even though he opposed independence. Guess what- before he left, HE WROTE THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION! Be that as it may, he went on to become governor of BOTH Pennsylvania and Delaware and attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787 because he himself recognized that the Articles of Confederation were too weak!

#NotSuchABadGuyAfterAll

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