{ "item_title" : "The Cost of Liberty", "item_author" : [" William Murchison "], "item_description" : "The Cost of Liberty offers a sorely needed reassessment of a great patriot and misunderstood Founder. It has been more than a half century since a biography of John Dickinson appeared. Author William Murchison rectifies this mistake, bringing to life one of the most influential figures of the entire Founding period, a principled man whose gifts as writer, speaker, and philosopher only Jefferson came near to matching. In the -process, Murchison destroys the caricature of -Dickinson that has emerged from such popular treatments as HBO's John Adams miniseries and the Broadway musical 1776. Dickinson is remembered mostly for his reluctance to sign the -Declaration of Independence. But that reluctance, Murchison shows, had nothing to do with a lack of patriotism. In fact, Dickinson immediately took up arms to serve the colonial cause--something only one signer of the -Declaration did. He stood on principle to oppose declaring independence at that moment, even when he knew that doing so would deal the finishing blow to his once-great reputation. Dubbed the Penman of the Revolution, Dickinson was not just a scribe but also a shaper of mighty events. From the 1760s through the late 1780s he was present at, and played a significant role in, every major assemblage where the Founders charted America's path--a claim few others could make. Author of the landmark essays Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, delegate to the Continental Congress, key -figure behind the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, chief executive of both Pennsylvania and Delaware: Dickinson was, as one esteemed -historian aptly put it, the most underrated of all the Founders. This lively biography gives a great Founder his long-overdue measure of honor. It also broadens our understanding of the Founding period, challenging many modern assumptions about the events of 1776 and 1787.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers2.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/93/385/994/1933859946_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "25.00", "online_price" : "25.00", "our_price" : "25.00", "club_price" : "25.00", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

Overview

Customers Also Bought

Details