Let’s meet another unsung hero of the Declaration of Independence: Charles Carroll, the longest-living signer of this founding document. He was a champion of civil and religious liberties and spoke out against oppressive British taxation as well as slavery. Carroll, courageous as he was, took no prisoners when it came to ad hominem attacks.
Courage in the Face of Ad Hominem Attacks
When Daniel Delany publicly ridiculed Charles Carroll with personal attacks, Carroll effectively responded with the principle that I often teach: When your opponent resorts to character attacks, they are out of facts and have lost the argument. They have nothing else to offer. It was a joy to discover that Carroll first practiced this principle of discourse in the founding generation!
Remember the Boston Tea Party of 1774 in Annapolis Harbor? Charles Carroll helped to set the ship on fire in protest of British “taxation without representation.”
A Crusader for Religious and Civil Liberty
Religious as well as civil liberty were equally a part of Carroll’s quest for American independence. Carroll was a Roman Catholic, a persecuted and restricted religion at the time of the founding. Roman Catholics were limited in where they lived, who they associated with, and were not allowed to hold public office. 1776 and the Declaration of Independence changed that view, as Americans not only desired civil freedom from England’s domination but also freedom of conscience. Carroll said,” To obtain religious as well as civil liberty, I entered jealously into the Revolution, and observing the Christian religion divided into many sects, I founded the hope that no one would be so predominant as to become the religion of the State.”
Charles Carroll believed in the rights that our First Amendment now protects. His crusade was for freedom of conscience to practice faith as one chooses. Notice that it was not freedom from religion, but freedom OF religion, an essential component to civil liberty in America. He believed that no single national religion should be forced on the American people.
Promoting the End of Slavery
With religious and civil freedoms, the evils of slavery needed to be addressed. Carroll joined an organization that promoted an end to this inhumane practice. He wrote, “Why keep alive the question of slavery? It is admitted by all to be a great evil.”
A Long Life Well-Lived
Charles Carroll was alive to celebrate America’s fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. He died six years later at the age of 95, the longest living signer of the Declaration of Independence. Carroll was considered to be the wealthiest man in America at that time. I’d say, in addition to material wealth, he was rich in character, courage, and a champion of America’s civil and religious freedoms—a true national treasure.
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.🇺🇸
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