Mary Norris Dickinson
Even though the Pennsylvania delegation, of which John Dickinson was a member, voted in favor of independence in 1776, he declined to sign the Declaration of Independence. He rejected in part because he was a Quaker and felt the document would result in protracted conflict, which would go against his moral beliefs. Mary Norris Dickinson, his wife, had the same religious beliefs. Men and women are treated equally by the Society of Friends, who also believe that spirits are genderless. Mary Norris Dickinson used this maxim to all aspects of her life, including business and politics.
When her husband was a delegate from Delaware to the Constitutional Convention, Mary was the owner of sizable tracts of land and one of the greatest private libraries in North America. To the chagrin of some of the more conservative-minded delegates, Mary routinely hosted delegates for dinners in her home during the convention, where she actively participated in political discussions. She didn't follow the custom of the ladies leaving the table after dinner to let the men talk about things like politics and business; instead, she invited other women to join her conversations.
She exerted influence on her husband and other delegates to push for the inclusion of a bill of rights and the equal treatment of men and women in all legal proceedings. She also promoted women's voting rights. Despite parts of her estates being destroyed by the British during the Revolution, her library was not. She and her husband gave Benjamin Rush the land close to Carlisle and the library in 1784, so he could establish a new college, which he named John and Mary's College. Its current name is Dickinson College.
- Born: July 17, 1740 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – July 23, 1803 in Wilmington, Delaware
- Died: Wilmington, Delaware, on July 23, 1803
