NYTIMES (Sarah Lyall) - A Founder’s Previously Unknown Attempt to Avert the Revolutionary War
Recently discovered documents reveal a back-channel attempt by a leader of the Continental Congress to make peace. (He did not succeed.)
Recently discovered documents reveal a back-channel attempt by a leader of the Continental Congress to make peace. (He did not succeed.)
As the only individual to serve as Supreme Court Justice and sign both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, James Wilson played a pivotal role in America’s founding. A man from humble beginnings, Wilson was born in Carskerdo, Scotland in 1742. At age 15, he left to study at the University of St. Andrews, preparing for a life of ministry. However, Wilson took particular interest in the ideals of the Scottish Enlightenment, which shaped his political philosophy early on. He traveled across the Atlantic in search of a new life of opportunity. When he arrived, he began studying law under prominent attorney John Dickinson. It was not long before Wilson became a distinguished lawyer and known opponent of the Crown. He…