Mary. According to historian Arthur Hobson Quinn, the plot revolves around "Puritan refugee Goff, issuing from his solitude to lead the villagers to victory against the Indians. With this theme he interwove that of the intolerance of the New England Puritans and their persecution for witchcraft." His play, How to Try a Lover, was written in 1817, but was not produced until 1836 as The Court of Love. It was premiered in Philadelphia on March 26, 1836, at the Arch Street Theatre. It is a dramatic adaptation of the French picaresque novel, La folie espagnole, by Pigault-Lebrun (1753–1835). Barker wrote, "It was the only drama I have written with which I was satisfied." However, Barker felt he could better serve society as a politician than a dramatist. He was unable to combine his political and literary roles, which led to him seeing himself as primarily a politician and an author second. He turned his focus from writing plays to writing political tracts, commemorative poems and local history between 1818 and 1858. His non-fiction works include A Sketch of Primitive Settlements on Delaware River (1827) and contributions to the columns of many democratic journals during the Bank War and Panic, from 1832 to 1836 which were highly valued. In addition to writing, from 1829 to 1838, Barker was the collector of the port of Philadelphia, and from 1841 to 1858, he was the assistant comptroller of the U.S. Treasury. He was involved in the presidential campaigns for both Jackson and Van Buren during the 1820s and 1830s. He died in 1858 of pneumonia in Washington, D.C. Legacy Barker's literary work advocated native dramas and emphasized a growing desire among American writers to claim the nation's early history. His plays are set in America, which was unusual for that period, and he is considered to be among the first generation of American playwrights. He knew that his plays could shape national identity by creating an independent American consciousness. Quoted in the Philadelphia Democratic Press, Barker believed that theatre had a higher goal, "to keep alive the spirit of freedom; and to unite conflicting parties in a common love of liberty and devotedness to country". References External links Chorus of Adventurers from "The Indian Princess" Without a Penny of Money from "The Indian Princess" Larry the Irishman from "The Indian Princess" 1784 births 1858 deaths American dramatists and playwrights Mayors of Philadelphia United