Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Encyclopedia
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
(September 19, 1737 November 14, 1832) was a wealthy Maryland
planter and an early advocate of independence from Great Britain
. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress
and later as United States
Senator
for Maryland
. He was the only Catholic
and the longest-lived (and last surviving) signatory of the Declaration of Independence
, dying at the age of 95.
were descendants of the Ó Cearbhaill lords of Éile
(Lords of Ely) in Kings County Co Offaly. Carroll's grandfather was the Irish-born Charles Carroll the Settler
(1660–1720) from Litterluna; he was a descendant of Daniel O Carroll of Aghagurty Clareen three miles south of Kinnitty, and a clerk in the office of Lord Powis
. Carroll left his native Ireland (Kings County) around the year 1659, and immigrated to St. Mary's City, capitol of the colony of Maryland, in 1689, with a commission as Attorney General from the colony's Catholic proprietor, Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
.
Charles Carroll the Settler was the son of Daniel O'Carroll of Litterluna. The "O'" in Irish surnames was often dropped due to the Anglicisation policy of the occupying English, particularly during the period of the "Penal Laws". Charles Carroll the Settler had just one son, born in 1702 and also named Charles. To distinguish himself from his father he was known as Charles Carroll of Annapolis
.
Carroll was born on September 19, 1737, in Annapolis, Maryland, the only child of Charles Carroll of Annapolis
(1702–1782) and Elizabeth Brooke (1709–1761). He was born illegitimate, as his parents were not married at the time of his birth, for technical reasons to do with the inheritance of the Carroll family
estates. They eventually married in 1757.
The young Carroll was educated at a secret Jesuit preparatory school known as Bohemia Manor in Cecil County on Maryland's Eastern Shore
, though this cannot be confirmed from contemporary records , and he may have been schooled at home before departing for Europe, where he attended the College of St. Omer in France, and graduated from the College of Louis the Grand
in 1755. He continued his studies in Europe, and read for the law in London
before returning to Annapolis in 1765.
Charles Carroll of Annapolis granted Carrollton Manor
to his son, Charles Carroll of Carrollton. It is from this tract of land that he took his title, “Charles Carroll of Carrollton.” Like his father, Carroll was a Roman Catholic, and as a consequence of this he was barred by Maryland statute from entering politics, practicing law, and voting. This did not prevent him from becoming one of the wealthiest men in Maryland (or indeed anywhere in the Colonies), owning extensive agricultural estates, most notably his large manor at Doughoregan, and providing capital to finance new enterprises on the Western Shore.
and her colonies intensified in the early 1770s, Carroll would become a powerful voice for independence in Maryland. In 1772 he engaged in a debate conducted through anonymous newspaper letters, maintaining the right of the colonies to control their own taxation. Writing in the Maryland Gazette under the pseudonym "First Citizen," he became a prominent spokesman against the governor's proclamation increasing legal fees to state officers and Protestant clergy. Opposing Carroll in these written debates and writing as "Antillon" was Daniel Dulany the Younger
, a noted lawyer and loyalist
politician. In these debates, Carroll argued that the government of Maryland
had long been the monopoly of four families, the Ogles, the Taskers, the Bladens and the Dulanys, with Dulany taking the contrary view. Eventually word spread of the true identity of the two combatants, and Carroll's fame and notoriety began to grow. Dulany soon resorted to highly personal ad hominem attacks on "First Citizen", and Carroll responded, in statesmanlike fashion, with considerable restraint, arguing that when Antilles engaged in "virulent invective and illiberal abuse, we may fairly presume, that arguments are either wanting, or that ignorance or incapacity know not how to apply them".
Following these written debates, Carroll became a leading opponent of British rule, and served on various committees of correspondence. He also played an important role in the burning of the Peggy Stewart
, a ship which had been carrying tea to Maryland, and was destroyed on October 19, 1774 as part of the tea party
protests against British excise duties.
In the early 1770s Carroll appears to have embraced the idea that only violence could break the impasse with Great Britain. According to legend, Carroll and Samuel Chase
(who would also later sign the Declaration of Independence on Maryland's behalf) had the following exchange:
, Samuel Chase
and his cousin John Carroll
in February 1774 to seek aid from Canada. He was a member of Annapolis' first Committee of Safety
in 1775. In early 1776, while not yet a member, the Congress sent him on a three-man diplomatic mission to Canada
, in order to seek assistance for the confrontation with Britain. Carroll was an excellent choice for such a mission, being fluent in French and a Roman Catholic, and therefore well suited to negotiations with the French speaking colonists of Quebec.
by his peers discerning his contributions in such stark contrast to the denial of civic rights due to his Catholicism.
His signature reads "Charles Carroll of Carrollton", to distinguish him from his father, "Charles Carroll of Annapolis" who was still living at that time, and he has often been referred to this way by historians. At the time he was one of the richest men in America. Throughout his term in Congress, he served on the board of war.
in 1780, but he declined. He was elected to the state senate in 1781 and served there continuously until 1800.
In November 1779 The House of Delegates moved to pass a bill confiscating the property of those who had sided with the Crown during the Revolution. Carroll opposed this measure, questioning the motives of those who pressed confiscation and arguing that the measure was unjust. However, such moves to confiscate Tory property had much popular support and eventually, in 1780, the measure passed.
When the United States government was created, the Maryland legislature elected him to the first United States Senate. In 1792 Maryland passed a law that prohibited any man from serving in the State and national legislature
s at the same time. Since he preferred to be in the Maryland Senate, he resigned from the U. S. Senate on November 30, 1792.
, an organization dedicated to returning black Americans to lead free lives in African states such as Liberia
.
Carroll retired from public life in 1801. After Thomas Jefferson
became president, he had great anxiety about political activity, and was not sympathetic to the War of 1812
. After both Jefferson and John Adams
died on July 4, 1826, he became the only surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. He came out of retirement to help create the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
in 1827. His last public act, on July 4, 1828, was the laying of the cornerstone of the railroad. In May 1832, he was asked to appear at the first ever Democratic Convention but did not attend on account of poor health.
He died on November 14, 1832, in Baltimore. His funeral took place at the Baltimore Cathedral (now known as the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
) in Baltimore, and he is buried in his Doughoregan Manor
Chapel at Ellicott City, Maryland
. He was the last survivor of the Declaration of Independence signers.
Carroll funded the building of what is known today as Homewood House, a 140 acre (570,000 m²) estate in northern Baltimore, Maryland as a wedding gift to his son, Charles Jr. and Harriet Chew. Charles Jr. then oversaw the design and construction of the house, which began construction in 1801 and had mostly finished by 1808. Research shows that he incorporated suggestions from his wife. It took five years to build and cost $40,000, four times the budgeted expense. The house never fulfilled the family's expectations, as it did nothing to cure Charles Jr.'s idleness and alcoholism
, factors which led to the failure of the marriage by binding separation.
Homewood was donated to Johns Hopkins University
in 1876 and later became its main campus. Today, Johns Hopkins operates Homewood House as a museum, and its Federal-style architecture serves as the inspiration for Hopkins campus architecture.
His son-in-law Richard Caton's home Brooklandwood
in Baltimore County, Maryland
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972.
He is remembered in the third stanza of the state song 'Maryland, My Maryland
'.
(Maryland!)
(Maryland!)
Named in his honor are counties in Arkansas, Georgia
, Illinois, Indiana
, Iowa
, Maryland
, Mississippi
, Missouri, New Hampshire
, Ohio
, and Virginia
, as well as East
and West
Carroll Parishes, Louisiana. Carroll County, Kentucky
and its county seat, Carrollton
, are both named for him. Also named for him are the Carroll Gardens neighborhood in Brooklyn
and the Greater Carrollwood neighborhoods of Tampa
; as well as the city of New Carrollton, Maryland
, home to Charles Carroll Middle School
.
Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana was named in his honor. The surrounding neighborhood formerly made up the separate town of Carrollton, but was incorporated into the city of New Orleans 1833.
In 1877, the first fair in the United States was held in Philadelphia. The Catholic Abstinence society has built a statue of Charles Carroll in this park.
In 1903 the state of Maryland added a bronze statue to the United States Capitol
's National Statuary Hall Collection
. It is located in the Crypt.
In 1906, the University of Notre Dame
constructed what is now known as Carroll Hall, a residence hall named after Charles Carroll.
. They had seven children before Molly died in 1782, but only three survived infancy:
Today, Carroll's descendants continue to own Doughoregan Manor
the largest parcel of land in Howard County, Maryland
, with over 1000 acres (4 km²) of valuable, but historically preserved land in Ellicott City, Maryland
.
and Button Gwinnett
, had unusual and distinctive names which would clearly identify them to the King; other signators, with more commonplace names, might hope to sign the Declaration without incriminating themselves.
According to Hix, when it was Carroll's turn to sign the Declaration of Independence, he rose, went to John Hancock
's desk where the document rested, signed his name "Charles Carroll" and returned to his seat. At this point another member of the Continental Congress, who was prejudiced against Carroll because of his Catholicism, commented that Carroll risked nothing in signing the document, as there must be many men named Charles Carroll in the colonies, and so the King would be unlikely to order Carroll's arrest without clear proof that he was the same Charles Carroll who had signed the Declaration. Carroll immediately returned to Hancock's desk, seized the pen again, and added "of Carrollton" to his name.
In fact, Carroll had been appending "of Carrollton" to his signature for over a decade, the earliest surviving example appearing at the end of a September 15, 1765, letter to his English friend William Gibson. Carrollton Manor was the name of a tract of more than twelve thousand acres in Frederick County, Maryland, which the Carroll family leased to tenant farmers.
starring Nicolas Cage
. He is accurately described as the last living signatory of the Declaration of Independence
. Although the film does not explicitly state it, it is implied that Carroll died in Washington, D.C. It is inaccurately stated that Carroll was a Mason
; Catholics weren't allowed to be members of the Masons. A scene which did not make the final cut of the film (but appears as a deleted scene
on the DVD) shows then-President Jackson
rushing out of the White House to find Carroll's body in a carriage. Carroll is mentioned in the movie Gone with the Wind
.
Carrollton Manor
Carrollton Manor was a 17,000 acre tract of land in Frederick County, Maryland which extended from the Potomac River on the south, Catoctin Mountain to the west, the Monocacy River to the east, and Ballenger Creek to the north...
(September 19, 1737 November 14, 1832) was a wealthy Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
planter and an early advocate of independence from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
and later as United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
for Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He was the only Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and the longest-lived (and last surviving) signatory of the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
, dying at the age of 95.
Ancestry
The Carroll familyCarroll family
The Carroll family of Maryland is a prominent political family in the History of the United States, or, more correctly, a group of distantly related families...
were descendants of the Ó Cearbhaill lords of Éile
Éile
Éile, Éle or Éli, commonly anglicised Ely, was an ancient and medieval kingdom of northern Munster in Ireland.-Overview:They claimed descent from Céin , a possibly mythical or spurious younger son of Ailill Aulom and brother of Éogan Mór, and thus kinship with the Eóganachta...
(Lords of Ely) in Kings County Co Offaly. Carroll's grandfather was the Irish-born Charles Carroll the Settler
Charles Carroll the Settler
Charles Carroll , sometimes called Charles Carroll the Settler to differentiate him from his son and grandson, was a wealthy lawyer and planter in colonial Maryland...
(1660–1720) from Litterluna; he was a descendant of Daniel O Carroll of Aghagurty Clareen three miles south of Kinnitty, and a clerk in the office of Lord Powis
William Herbert, 1st Marquess of Powis
William Herbert, 1st Marquess of Powis, PC was an English nobleman.He succeeded his father, the 2nd Baron Powis, as 3rd Baron Powis in 1667, and was created Earl of Powis in 1674 by King Charles II and Viscount Montgomery, of the Town of Montgomery, and Marquess of Powis in 1687 by King James II,...
. Carroll left his native Ireland (Kings County) around the year 1659, and immigrated to St. Mary's City, capitol of the colony of Maryland, in 1689, with a commission as Attorney General from the colony's Catholic proprietor, Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, 2nd Proprietor and 6th and 9th Proprietary Governor of Maryland , inherited the colony in 1675 upon the death of his father, Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. He had been his father's Deputy Governor since 1661 when he arrived in the colony at the age of 24...
.
Charles Carroll the Settler was the son of Daniel O'Carroll of Litterluna. The "O'" in Irish surnames was often dropped due to the Anglicisation policy of the occupying English, particularly during the period of the "Penal Laws". Charles Carroll the Settler had just one son, born in 1702 and also named Charles. To distinguish himself from his father he was known as Charles Carroll of Annapolis
Charles Carroll of Annapolis
Charles Carroll of Annapolis was a wealthy Maryland planter and lawyer. His father was Charles Carroll the Settler, an immigrant to Maryland who had arrived in the colony in 1689 with a commission as Attorney General, and had accumulated a vast fortune, emerging as Maryland's wealthiest citizen...
.
Early life
Charles Carroll of Annapolis
Charles Carroll of Annapolis was a wealthy Maryland planter and lawyer. His father was Charles Carroll the Settler, an immigrant to Maryland who had arrived in the colony in 1689 with a commission as Attorney General, and had accumulated a vast fortune, emerging as Maryland's wealthiest citizen...
(1702–1782) and Elizabeth Brooke (1709–1761). He was born illegitimate, as his parents were not married at the time of his birth, for technical reasons to do with the inheritance of the Carroll family
Carroll family
The Carroll family of Maryland is a prominent political family in the History of the United States, or, more correctly, a group of distantly related families...
estates. They eventually married in 1757.
The young Carroll was educated at a secret Jesuit preparatory school known as Bohemia Manor in Cecil County on Maryland's Eastern Shore
Eastern Shore of Maryland
The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a territorial part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies predominately on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay and consists of nine counties. The origin of term Eastern Shore was derived to distinguish a territorial part of the State of Maryland from the Western...
, though this cannot be confirmed from contemporary records , and he may have been schooled at home before departing for Europe, where he attended the College of St. Omer in France, and graduated from the College of Louis the Grand
Lycée Louis-le-Grand
The Lycée Louis-le-Grand is a public secondary school located in Paris, widely regarded as one of the most rigorous in France. Formerly known as the Collège de Clermont, it was named in king Louis XIV of France's honor after he visited the school and offered his patronage.It offers both a...
in 1755. He continued his studies in Europe, and read for the law in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
before returning to Annapolis in 1765.
Charles Carroll of Annapolis granted Carrollton Manor
Carrollton Manor
Carrollton Manor was a 17,000 acre tract of land in Frederick County, Maryland which extended from the Potomac River on the south, Catoctin Mountain to the west, the Monocacy River to the east, and Ballenger Creek to the north...
to his son, Charles Carroll of Carrollton. It is from this tract of land that he took his title, “Charles Carroll of Carrollton.” Like his father, Carroll was a Roman Catholic, and as a consequence of this he was barred by Maryland statute from entering politics, practicing law, and voting. This did not prevent him from becoming one of the wealthiest men in Maryland (or indeed anywhere in the Colonies), owning extensive agricultural estates, most notably his large manor at Doughoregan, and providing capital to finance new enterprises on the Western Shore.
Voice for independence
Carroll was not initially interested in politics (and was in any event barred by his faith from active participation) but as the dispute between Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and her colonies intensified in the early 1770s, Carroll would become a powerful voice for independence in Maryland. In 1772 he engaged in a debate conducted through anonymous newspaper letters, maintaining the right of the colonies to control their own taxation. Writing in the Maryland Gazette under the pseudonym "First Citizen," he became a prominent spokesman against the governor's proclamation increasing legal fees to state officers and Protestant clergy. Opposing Carroll in these written debates and writing as "Antillon" was Daniel Dulany the Younger
Daniel Dulany the Younger
Daniel Dulany the Younger was a Maryland Loyalist politician, Mayor of Annapolis, and an influential American lawyer in the period immediately before the American Revolution...
, a noted lawyer and loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
politician. In these debates, Carroll argued that the government of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
had long been the monopoly of four families, the Ogles, the Taskers, the Bladens and the Dulanys, with Dulany taking the contrary view. Eventually word spread of the true identity of the two combatants, and Carroll's fame and notoriety began to grow. Dulany soon resorted to highly personal ad hominem attacks on "First Citizen", and Carroll responded, in statesmanlike fashion, with considerable restraint, arguing that when Antilles engaged in "virulent invective and illiberal abuse, we may fairly presume, that arguments are either wanting, or that ignorance or incapacity know not how to apply them".
Following these written debates, Carroll became a leading opponent of British rule, and served on various committees of correspondence. He also played an important role in the burning of the Peggy Stewart
Peggy Stewart
The Peggy Stewart was a Maryland cargo vessel burned on October 19, 1774, in Annapolis as a punishment for contravening the boycott on tea imports which had been imposed in retaliation for the British treatment of the people of Boston following the Boston Tea Party...
, a ship which had been carrying tea to Maryland, and was destroyed on October 19, 1774 as part of the tea party
Peggy Stewart
The Peggy Stewart was a Maryland cargo vessel burned on October 19, 1774, in Annapolis as a punishment for contravening the boycott on tea imports which had been imposed in retaliation for the British treatment of the people of Boston following the Boston Tea Party...
protests against British excise duties.
In the early 1770s Carroll appears to have embraced the idea that only violence could break the impasse with Great Britain. According to legend, Carroll and Samuel Chase
Samuel Chase
Samuel Chase was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and earlier was a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland. Early in life, Chase was a "firebrand" states-righter and revolutionary...
(who would also later sign the Declaration of Independence on Maryland's behalf) had the following exchange:
- Chase: "We have the better of our opponents; we have completely written them down."
- Carroll: "And do you think that writing will settle the question between us?"
- Chase: "To be sure, what else can we resort to?"
- Carroll: "The bayonet. Our arguments will only raise the feelings of the people to that pitch, when open war will be looked to as the arbiter of the dispute".
Annapolis Convention
From 1774 to 1776, Carroll was a member of the Annapolis Convention. He was commissioned with Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, Samuel Chase
Samuel Chase
Samuel Chase was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and earlier was a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland. Early in life, Chase was a "firebrand" states-righter and revolutionary...
and his cousin John Carroll
John Carroll (bishop)
John Carroll, was the first Roman Catholic bishop and archbishop in the United States — serving as the ordinary of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He is also known as the founder of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the United States, and St...
in February 1774 to seek aid from Canada. He was a member of Annapolis' first Committee of Safety
Committee of Safety (American Revolution)
Many Committees of Safety were established throughout Colonial America at the start of the American Revolution. These committees started to appear in the 1760s as means to discuss the concerns of the time, and often consisted of every male adult in the community...
in 1775. In early 1776, while not yet a member, the Congress sent him on a three-man diplomatic mission to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, in order to seek assistance for the confrontation with Britain. Carroll was an excellent choice for such a mission, being fluent in French and a Roman Catholic, and therefore well suited to negotiations with the French speaking colonists of Quebec.
Signatory of the Declaration of Independence
When Maryland decided to support the open revolution, he was elected to the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, and remained a delegate until 1778. He arrived too late to vote in favor of it, but was able to sign the Declaration of Independence. He was the last living signatory of the Declaration of Independence at the time of his death. It is reputed that the First Amendment to the Constitution was written in appreciation for his financial support during the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
by his peers discerning his contributions in such stark contrast to the denial of civic rights due to his Catholicism.
His signature reads "Charles Carroll of Carrollton", to distinguish him from his father, "Charles Carroll of Annapolis" who was still living at that time, and he has often been referred to this way by historians. At the time he was one of the richest men in America. Throughout his term in Congress, he served on the board of war.
Member of the U.S. Senate
Carroll returned to Maryland in 1778 to assist in the drafting of a constitution and forming a state government. Carroll was re-elected to the Continental CongressContinental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
in 1780, but he declined. He was elected to the state senate in 1781 and served there continuously until 1800.
In November 1779 The House of Delegates moved to pass a bill confiscating the property of those who had sided with the Crown during the Revolution. Carroll opposed this measure, questioning the motives of those who pressed confiscation and arguing that the measure was unjust. However, such moves to confiscate Tory property had much popular support and eventually, in 1780, the measure passed.
When the United States government was created, the Maryland legislature elected him to the first United States Senate. In 1792 Maryland passed a law that prohibited any man from serving in the State and national legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
s at the same time. Since he preferred to be in the Maryland Senate, he resigned from the U. S. Senate on November 30, 1792.
Attitude to slavery
The Carroll family were slaveholders, and Charles Carroll was himself a substantial and wealthy planter. Like many Southerners, Carroll was opposed in principle to slavery, asking rhetorically "Why keep alive the question of slavery? It is admitted by all to be a great evil". However, although he supported its gradual abolition, he did not free his own slaves, perhaps fearing that they might be rendered destitute in the process. Carroll introduced a bill for the gradual abolition of slavery in the Maryland senate but it did not pass. In 1828, aged 91, he served as president of the Auxiliary State Colonization Society of Maryland, the Maryland branch of the American Colonization SocietyAmerican Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society , founded in 1816, was the primary vehicle to support the "return" of free African Americans to what was considered greater freedom in Africa. It helped to found the colony of Liberia in 1821–22 as a place for freedmen...
, an organization dedicated to returning black Americans to lead free lives in African states such as Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
.
Death and legacy
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
became president, he had great anxiety about political activity, and was not sympathetic to the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. After both Jefferson and John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
died on July 4, 1826, he became the only surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. He came out of retirement to help create the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
in 1827. His last public act, on July 4, 1828, was the laying of the cornerstone of the railroad. In May 1832, he was asked to appear at the first ever Democratic Convention but did not attend on account of poor health.
He died on November 14, 1832, in Baltimore. His funeral took place at the Baltimore Cathedral (now known as the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also called the Baltimore Basilica, was the first Roman Catholic cathedral built in the United States, and was the first major religious building constructed in the nation after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution...
) in Baltimore, and he is buried in his Doughoregan Manor
Doughoregan Manor
Doughoregan Manor is a mansion located on Manor Lane near Ellicott City, Maryland, USA. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 11, 1971.-History:...
Chapel at Ellicott City, Maryland
Ellicott City, Maryland
Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The population was 65,834 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Howard County...
. He was the last survivor of the Declaration of Independence signers.
Carroll funded the building of what is known today as Homewood House, a 140 acre (570,000 m²) estate in northern Baltimore, Maryland as a wedding gift to his son, Charles Jr. and Harriet Chew. Charles Jr. then oversaw the design and construction of the house, which began construction in 1801 and had mostly finished by 1808. Research shows that he incorporated suggestions from his wife. It took five years to build and cost $40,000, four times the budgeted expense. The house never fulfilled the family's expectations, as it did nothing to cure Charles Jr.'s idleness and alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, factors which led to the failure of the marriage by binding separation.
Homewood was donated to Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in 1876 and later became its main campus. Today, Johns Hopkins operates Homewood House as a museum, and its Federal-style architecture serves as the inspiration for Hopkins campus architecture.
His son-in-law Richard Caton's home Brooklandwood
Brooklandwood
Brooklandwood, or Brookland Wood, is a historic home located on the grounds of St. Paul`s School for Boys, in Brooklandville, Baltimore County, Maryland. It is a -story, five-bay dwelling. The central block and two later wings are brick, painted white...
in Baltimore County, Maryland
Baltimore County, Maryland
Baltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland...
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972.
He is remembered in the third stanza of the state song 'Maryland, My Maryland
Maryland, My Maryland
"Maryland, My Maryland" is the official state song of the U.S. state of Maryland. The song is set to the tune of "Lauriger Horatius" and the lyrics are from a nine-stanza poem written by James Ryder Randall...
'.
- Thou wilt not cower in the dust,
(Maryland!)
- Thy beaming sword shall never rust,
(Maryland!)
- Remember Carroll's sacred trust,
- Remember Howard's warlike thrust,-
- And all thy slumberers with the just,
- Maryland! My Maryland!
Monuments and memorials
Carroll County, Georgia
Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 87,268. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 111,954...
, Illinois, Indiana
Carroll County, Indiana
Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 20,155. The county seat is Delphi.Carroll County is part of the Lafayette, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, Iowa
Carroll County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 20,816 in the county, with a population density of . There were 9,376 housing units, of which 8,683 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Maryland
Carroll County, Maryland
Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 167,134. It was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton , signer of the American Declaration of Independence. Its county seat is Westminster....
, Mississippi
Carroll County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 10,769 people, 4,071 households, and 3,069 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile . There were 4,888 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
, Missouri, New Hampshire
Carroll County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,666 people, 18,351 households, and 12,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 18/km² . There were 34,750 housing units at an average density of 14/km²...
, Ohio
Carroll County, Ohio
Carroll County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 28,836, no change from 2000. Its county seat is Carrollton. It is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence....
, and Virginia
Carroll County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,245 people, 12,186 households, and 8,786 families residing in the county. The population density was 61 people per square mile . There were 14,680 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
, as well as East
East Carroll Parish, Louisiana
East Carroll Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lake Providence and as of 2010, the population was 7,759.-Law and government:In the 2004 presidential race, East Carroll gave the George W. Bush - Richard B...
and West
West Carroll Parish, Louisiana
West Carroll Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Oak Grove and as of 2000, the population was 12,314.-History:...
Carroll Parishes, Louisiana. Carroll County, Kentucky
Carroll County, Kentucky
Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky and located at the confluence of the Kentucky and Ohio rivers. It was formed in 1838 and named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence. The population was 10,155 at the 2000 census...
and its county seat, Carrollton
Carrollton, Kentucky
Carrollton is a town in Carroll County, Kentucky, at the confluence of the Ohio River and the Kentucky River. Its population was 3,846 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Carroll County....
, are both named for him. Also named for him are the Carroll Gardens neighborhood in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and the Greater Carrollwood neighborhoods of Tampa
Tâmpa
Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
; as well as the city of New Carrollton, Maryland
New Carrollton, Maryland
New Carrollton is a city located in central Prince George's County, Maryland, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, population was 12,589.New Carrollton is 12.11 miles from central Washington, DC....
, home to Charles Carroll Middle School
Charles Carroll Middle School
Charles Carroll Middle School, is an intermediate school located in New Carrollton, Maryland. It is a part of the Prince George's County Public Schools district....
.
Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana was named in his honor. The surrounding neighborhood formerly made up the separate town of Carrollton, but was incorporated into the city of New Orleans 1833.
In 1877, the first fair in the United States was held in Philadelphia. The Catholic Abstinence society has built a statue of Charles Carroll in this park.
In 1903 the state of Maryland added a bronze statue to the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
's National Statuary Hall Collection
National Statuary Hall Collection
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol comprises statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history...
. It is located in the Crypt.
In 1906, the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
constructed what is now known as Carroll Hall, a residence hall named after Charles Carroll.
Family
Charles Carroll of Carrollton married Mary Darnall, known as Molly, on June 5, 1768. She was a grand-daughter of Henry DarnallHenry Darnall
Colonel Henry Darnall , was a wealthy Maryland Roman Catholic planter, the Proprietary Agent of Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore . He served as Deputy Governor in Maryland. During the Protestant Revolution of 1689, his proprietarial army was defeated by the Puritan army of Colonel John Coode,...
. They had seven children before Molly died in 1782, but only three survived infancy:
- Mary Carroll, who married Richard Caton. From 1820 to 1832, Carroll would winter with the Catons in Baltimore. One of Mary's daughters married the British statesman Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess WellesleyRichard Wellesley, 1st Marquess WellesleyRichard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
, who was the brother of the legendary military commander Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
. A sister-in-law of Mary was Elizabeth Patterson BonaparteElizabeth Patterson BonaparteElizabeth Patterson Bonaparte , known as "Betsy", was the daughter of a Baltimore, Maryland merchant, and was the first wife of Jérôme Bonaparte, and sister-in-law of Emperor Napoleon I of France.-Ancestry:Elizabeth's father, William Patterson, had been born in Ireland and came to North America...
. - Charles Carroll Jr. (sometimes known as Charles Carroll of HomewoodHomewood MuseumThe Homewood Museum is a historical museum located on the Johns Hopkins University campus in Baltimore, Maryland. It was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1971...
because he oversaw its design and construction), who married Harriet Chew and lived in Philadelphia. Harriet was the daughter of Benjamin ChewBenjamin ChewBenjamin Chew was a third-generation American, a Quaker-born legal scholar, a prominent and successful Philadelphia lawyer, head of the Pennsylvania Judiciary System under both Colony and Commonwealth, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Province of Pennsylvania...
, the chief justice of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and her sister married John Eager Howard who had served in the Senate with Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Charles Jr. was an alcoholic who reportedly consumed up to two quarts of brandy a day. This led to erratic behavior that resulted in his separation from Harriet. - Catherine ("Kitty") Carroll, who married Robert Goodloe Harper, a lawyer and U.S. senator.
Today, Carroll's descendants continue to own Doughoregan Manor
Doughoregan Manor
Doughoregan Manor is a mansion located on Manor Lane near Ellicott City, Maryland, USA. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 11, 1971.-History:...
the largest parcel of land in Howard County, Maryland
Howard County, Maryland
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*62.2% White*17.5% Black*0.3% Native American*14.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.6% Two or more races*2.0% Other races*5.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, with over 1000 acres (4 km²) of valuable, but historically preserved land in Ellicott City, Maryland
Ellicott City, Maryland
Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The population was 65,834 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Howard County...
.
Carroll's signature
In the 1940s, newspaper journalist John Hix's syndicated column "Strange As It Seems" published an interesting, but apocryphal, explanation for Charles Carroll's distinctive signature on the Declaration of Independence. Every member of the Continental Congress who signed this document automatically became a criminal, guilty of sedition against King George III. Carroll, because of his wealth, had more to lose than most of his companions. Some of the signators, such as Caesar RodneyCaesar Rodney
Caesar Rodney was an American lawyer and politician from St. Jones Neck in Dover Hundred, Kent County, Delaware, east of Dover...
and Button Gwinnett
Button Gwinnett
Button Gwinnett was an English-born American political leader who, as a representative of Georgia to the Continental Congress, was the second of the signatories on the United States Declaration of Independence...
, had unusual and distinctive names which would clearly identify them to the King; other signators, with more commonplace names, might hope to sign the Declaration without incriminating themselves.
According to Hix, when it was Carroll's turn to sign the Declaration of Independence, he rose, went to John Hancock
John Hancock
John Hancock was a merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
's desk where the document rested, signed his name "Charles Carroll" and returned to his seat. At this point another member of the Continental Congress, who was prejudiced against Carroll because of his Catholicism, commented that Carroll risked nothing in signing the document, as there must be many men named Charles Carroll in the colonies, and so the King would be unlikely to order Carroll's arrest without clear proof that he was the same Charles Carroll who had signed the Declaration. Carroll immediately returned to Hancock's desk, seized the pen again, and added "of Carrollton" to his name.
In fact, Carroll had been appending "of Carrollton" to his signature for over a decade, the earliest surviving example appearing at the end of a September 15, 1765, letter to his English friend William Gibson. Carrollton Manor was the name of a tract of more than twelve thousand acres in Frederick County, Maryland, which the Carroll family leased to tenant farmers.
Carroll in fiction
Charles Carroll was portrayed by actor Terrence Currier in the 2004 film National TreasureNational Treasure (film)
National Treasure is a 2004 mystery adventure heist film from the Walt Disney Studios under Walt Disney Pictures. It was written by Jim Kouf, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Cormac Wibberley, and Marianne Wibberley, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and directed by Jon Turteltaub...
starring Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
. He is accurately described as the last living signatory of the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
. Although the film does not explicitly state it, it is implied that Carroll died in Washington, D.C. It is inaccurately stated that Carroll was a Mason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
; Catholics weren't allowed to be members of the Masons. A scene which did not make the final cut of the film (but appears as a deleted scene
Deleted scene
In Entertainment, especially the film and television industry, Deleted scenes are parts of a film removed or censored from or replaced by another scene in the final "cut", or version, of a film...
on the DVD) shows then-President Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
rushing out of the White House to find Carroll's body in a carriage. Carroll is mentioned in the movie Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
.
See also
- 1840s Carrollton Inn1840s Carrollton InnThe 1840s Carrollton Inn and Plaza, located in Baltimore, Maryland consists of two historic buildings and their complementary 1980 additions built to resemble the previous federal style buildings...
- Annapolis ConventionAnnapolis ConventionThe Annapolis Convention was an Assembly of the Counties of Maryland that functioned as the colony's revolutionary government from 1774 to 1776...
- Carroll familyCarroll familyThe Carroll family of Maryland is a prominent political family in the History of the United States, or, more correctly, a group of distantly related families...
- Carrollton ManorCarrollton ManorCarrollton Manor was a 17,000 acre tract of land in Frederick County, Maryland which extended from the Potomac River on the south, Catoctin Mountain to the west, the Monocacy River to the east, and Ballenger Creek to the north...
- History of Maryland in the American RevolutionHistory of Maryland in the American RevolutionThe Province of Maryland had been a British colony since 1632 and did not at first favor breaking away from Great Britain, but in time became a supporter of the Revolution...
External links
Retrieved November 2010- Quotes by Charles Carroll Retrieved November 2010
- A Moment in Time Archives: Charles Carroll of Carrollton Retrieved November 2010
- Homewood House Museum Retrieved November 2010
- Research into Homewood House Retrieved November 2010
- Biography by Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, 1856 Retrieved November 2010
- ZENIT: How Charles Carroll Influenced U.S. Founding Fathers (Part 1) and (Part 2) (interview with Scott McDermott; McDermott mentions various facts about Carroll) Retrieved November 2010