MDMD Dixon's nonviolence

[Doug Millison]

Thanks, Dave.  If this is an accurate historical account, it would appear
that Pynchon has substantially changed the account of Dixon's encounter wth
the slave driver, changing it such that Dixon refrains from thrashing the
slave driver with the whip...thus bringing it more in line with a
nonviolent approach to resolving conflict and promoting social justice.
This isn't the Dixon that Pynchon has invented.



>From H.W. Robinson, "Jeremiah Dixon (1733-1779)--A
Biographical Note," Proceedings of the American
Philosophical Society 91 (1950): 272-4 ...

"Dixon came upon a slave driver mercilesly beating a
poor [as opposed to ...?] black woman.  Going up to
him he said: 'Thou must not do that!' [...]  Then
righteous wrath overcame his Quaker principles.  He
was a tall and powerful man, and an imposing figure,
so without more ado he seized the slave driver's whip
and with it gave him the sound thrashing taht he
richly deserved." (p. 273)