Charles Carroll

Senator

• Born: September 19, 1737
• Birthplace: Annapolis, Maryland
• Died: November 14, 1832
• Place of death: Baltimore, Maryland

American politician

With a rebellious spirit, a penchant for the law, and an ability to forecast social upheaval, Carroll fought for government reform, helping to bring about independence and religious freedom for an entire nation.

Areas of achievement Government and politics, law, religion and theology

Early Life

Charles Carroll was the only child born to Charles Carroll and Elizabeth Brooke. His grandfather had emigrated to the American colonies from Ireland, bringing with him the Roman Catholic faith that became a source of religious discrimination for the Carroll family. The signature term “of Carrollton” was added to Carroll’s name in 1765 to distinguish him from his father, grandfather, and several other relatives of the same name. His name was equally important in verifying his paternity, given that his parents were not legally married until he was twenty years old.

Unlike his revolutionary counterparts, Carroll was educated mostly abroad, in part on the insistence of his father, who desired a traditional and proper education for his young son, and because Catholic teachings were prohibited in the colonies. At age eleven, Carroll was sent to France to his father’s alma mater, the Jesuit English College of St. Omers, which he attended for six years. He remained in France studying classical literature, philosophy, and French civil law until 1759, when he enrolled at the Middle Temple in London to earn a degree in English law.

Much is known about Carroll’s early years, his experiences abroad, and his political viewpoints because of the abundance of letters he exchanged with his parents. Aside from Carroll’s Jesuit education, his father was his chief influence. His father, who had amassed a vast fortune, was determined to raise a son morally and intellectually fit to preserve the family estate; young Carroll was considered a life investment. Charles Carroll of Annapolis demanded excellence from his son. He instructed him in study habits, courtship, fashion, popular culture, and even his personal appearance (at one time urging Carroll to maintain his natural hair rather than wear a wig). The small, fine-featured Carroll consulted his father on everything.

In February, 1765, fifteen years after being sent away to school, Carroll returned to Annapolis and plunged into a life of aristocracy. In June, 1768, he married a nineteen-year-old cousin, Mary Darnall. His family’s wealth and literary interests led him to memberships in prestigious clubs, where he formed a network of friends interested in American independence from England and civil liberties for Marylanders. Carroll was interested by the growing dissatisfaction with parliamentary government; his knowledge of English law provided him insight into the changing climate.

Life’s Work

In 1773, Maryland governor Robert Eden enacted a high fee scale allowing public officials to impose fees for services. The ruling sparked controversy in light of the ongoing outrage toward Britain’s taxation laws. Maryland attorney general and longtime Carroll family rival, Daniel Dulany, published an article in the Maryland Gazette defending the governor’s actions. In the article, Dulany made reference to the “first citizen,” a metaphor for Maryland’s people. Inflamed by the legislation and Dulany’s support, Charles Carroll countered Dulany in a series of articles entitled “The First Citizen,” denouncing arbitrary power and supporting citizens’ rights. Instantly, the public rallied around Carroll, thrusting him into extreme popularity and encouraging his continued efforts to represent the citizens’ growing upset with tyrannical leadership.

During this period, Carroll developed strong opinions regarding the demise of England’s government and was convinced that American independence was the only way of achieving civil and religious liberties for a people he felt were not properly represented. His inherited revolutionary spirit resulting from the religious persecution his family had endured fueled his political interests and involvement in the independence movement.

The recognition Carroll received from the First Citizen debate during the mid-1770’s led to a series of public appointments to state committees, including, among others, the Committees of Safety and of Correspondence. His role in these “watchdog” organizations was to defend the rights of Marylanders to ensure they would not be governed in ways beyond their consent. He also felt that by coordinating with other colonies, a strong unity could be formed against British power. Carroll claimed, “[Our Constitution’s] true spirit cannot be preserved without the most watchful care and strictest vigilance of the representatives over the conduct of administration.” From September to October, 1774, Carroll went to Philadelphia as an honorary delegate to the Continental Congress; he would have been an elected member had it not been for his Catholic faith.

In March, 1776, Carroll was commissioned by the Continental Congress, along with Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Chase, and his cousin John Carroll, to travel north on a mission to secure French-Canadian support for America’s cause against Britain. Canada viewed the colonies as highly anti-Catholic and with American armies present in their homeland, the northern neighbors were reluctant to help. Carroll’s religious background and fluency in the French language made him a fitting ally to incite Canadian sympathy for American independence—but to no avail. The mission proved a complete failure.

Carroll returned to Maryland to find that the state convention had voted to oppose national independence and had issued anti-independence instructions to the congressional delegation, which was preparing an official vote of separation from England. Carroll feverishly prepared an argument in favor of colonial sovereignty, citing that “the sole and exclusive right of regulating the internal government and police of [Maryland] be reserved to the people thereof.” Carroll also prepared for Maryland a smaller version of the Declaration of Independence, formulating his ideals into an organized structure. By the end of June, 1776, Carroll had persuaded the convention to rescind its decision and amend its instructions in time for the July 4 vote in Philadelphia.

Carroll’s longtime predictions were coming true—England had ignored the will of its people, forcing them to form their own representation. Within days, Carroll was awarded an official delegation to Congress and would participate in determining the future of the new United States. On August 2, 1776, Carroll, along with fifty-four other delegates, cast his signature on the Declaration of Independence, forever changing the course of America.

National sovereignty granted new freedoms to Americans, including religious liberties; without legal banishment, Carroll was free to pursue a formal political career. Immediately following the signing, he returned to the Maryland assembly seeking to reform the state’s constitution and electoral process. He believed in a central form of authority, but that government should have a system of checks and balances, ensuring that no one entity functioned without representation. Most important, thought Carroll, government should provide everyone with equal protection under the law.

Carroll played an integral role in drafting a new state constitution, which was accepted in November, 1776. One month later, Carroll was elected to the state senate in the very manner that he had helped to establish. As senator, he participated in designing the stringent and highly controversial Legal Tender Act in the hopes of increasing currency worth. Passing in 1777, the law required debtors to pay creditors in paper money, essentially devaluing credit held in land and other personal property, thus creating a major financial loss for wealthy landowners. Carroll argued the law was the price to pay for the liberty and protection the Constitution would bring, although the issue caused a significant strain between him and his father.

In 1787, Carroll was elected a delegate to the federal Constitutional Convention but refused the position. He did, however, accept his election as state representative to the first United States Congress and served from 1789 to 1792. Carroll lost his state senate office in 1800.

With his father no longer alive to encourage his political ambitions, Carroll resigned himself to creating a business empire and preserving the family fortune. In 1800, he founded the First Bank of the United States, followed by the Second Bank in 1816. He further invested in the American infrastructure through organizations such as the Potomac Canal Company, Georgetown Bridge Company, and the extremely successful Baltimore Water Company. In 1828, at age ninety, he served on the board of directors for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He died at age ninety-five in his daughter’s house in Baltimore.

Significance

Charles Carroll was a self-disciplined man determined to uphold the family rebelliousness instilled in him. Carroll persevered despite religious discrimination and served the public through extralegal organizations, coming full circle when his own influence granted him the freedom to hold elected public office.

His commitment to government reform was genuine and his strategy effective, but Carroll’s revolutionary motives have often been questioned: His cumulative political record shows him to be a staunch Federalist and conservative, willing to ensure the natural rights of all citizens, while maintaining the power and distinctive class of the elite. His writings at times condemned America’s revolution, claiming that anarchy was imminent and the states would be devastated by civil war. He was certain each state would not create proper leadership. By his own admission, he was more comfortable in the private sector, where he felt he could have greater impact. This could explain why his most measurable successes were in his business endeavors, notably establishing himself as the wealthiest citizen in the United States.

Although he did not gain the same level of eminence achieved by some of the other revolutionaries such as Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, and Benjamin Franklin, Carroll ultimately gained fame as the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. He died in 1832, survived by two of his seven children and twelve grandchildren.

Further Reading

Hanley, Thomas O’Brien. Charles Carroll of Carrollton: The Making of a Revolutionary Gentleman. Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1982. This book provides in-depth coverage of Carroll’s formative years and influences during his schooling. Special emphasis is placed on Carroll’s intellect, culture, and earliest accomplishments. Includes documentary notes and index.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Revolutionary Statesman: Charles Carroll and the War. Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1983. This book looks at Carroll’s patriotic contributions to independence. The author focuses on Carroll’s personal character and cites an extensive list of primary sources. Includes documentary notes and index.

Hawke, David Freeman. Honorable Treason: The Declaration of Independence and the Men Who Signed It. New York: Viking Press, 1976. A collection of profiles of each of the signers, providing equal detail on all fifty-five men. Good source for delegate comparisons. Includes bibliographical notes.

Hoffman, Ronald. Princes of Ireland, Planters of Maryland: A Carroll Saga, 1500-1782. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2000. Large, well-researched study of the Carroll family, beginning with its struggles in Ireland until its eventual financial success in eighteenth century Maryland. Describes Charles Carroll’s decision to align with the revolutionary cause and his family’s determination to maintain its Catholicism in the face of prejudice.

Hoffman, Ronald, Sally D. Mason, and Eleanor S. Darcy, eds. Dear Papa, Dear Charley: The Peregrinations of a Revolutionary Aristocrat, as Told by Charles Carroll of Carrollton and His Father, Charles Carroll of Annapolis, with Sundry Observations on Bastardy, Child Rearing, Romance, Matrimony, Commerce, Tobacco, Slavery, and the Politics of Revolutionary America. 3 vols. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001. This collection of letters begins in 1740, when young Carroll writes his father while receiving his education in Europe. The letters chronicle young Carroll’s rise to power during the American Revolution, the political and economic compromises he made, and details of his private life.

Maier, Pauline. American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. A comprehensive narrative that examines the era, colonies, and delegates involved in the Declaration of Independence’s formation. Provides only brief mentions of Carroll but includes a significant section on Maryland and extensive reference notes.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. The Old Revolutionaries: Political Lives in the Age of Samuel Adams. New York: Vintage Books, 1982. This account of six revolutionaries, including Carroll, provides insight into his personal identity and what influenced his political endeavors. The author concludes with a general discussion of revolutionary politics. Includes an index and some illustrations.

Van Devanter, Ann C. Anywhere So Long As There Be Freedom: Charles Carroll of Carrollton, His Family, and His Maryland. Baltimore: Baltimore Museum of Art, 1975. A catalog of an exhibition created to commemorate the U.S. bicentennial. Offers a biographical account of the Carroll family and catalogs family portraits, property, furniture, household items, and other memorabilia. Includes an exhaustive index of artists and an abbreviated chronology of the Carroll family tree. An excellent source for researching the family estate.