Sarah Mitchell
The religious beliefs of America's Founding Fathers have been a topic of debate in recent years, with some arguing that the country was founded under Christian doctrine. However, this notion has been disputed, and it is believed that the Founding Fathers intended to separate church and state. While the majority of the Founding Fathers were religious, there is a diversity of beliefs among them. Most were Protestants, with the largest groups being Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists. There were also three Roman Catholics among the Founding Fathers: Charles Carroll, Daniel Carroll, and Thomas Fitzsimmons. Charles Carroll, in particular, is remembered as a loyal Catholic and a good citizen, despite facing anti-Catholic laws in his home state of Maryland.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Founding Fathers | 56 |
| Number of Founding Fathers who were Catholic | 3 |
| Names of Catholic Founding Fathers | Charles Carroll, Daniel Carroll, Thomas Fitzsimmons |
| Number of Founding Fathers who were members of the clergy | 1 |
| Founding Fathers who practiced Deism | Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, Monroe |
| Founding Fathers who were traditional Christians | Sam Adams, Patrick Henry, Jon Jay |
| Founding Fathers who were Deists | Thomas Paine, Ethan Allen |
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What You'll Learn
Charles Carroll: a Catholic Founding Father
Charles Carroll, also known as Charles Carroll of Carrollton, was a Catholic Founding Father of the United States. Born in 1737 in Annapolis, Maryland, Carroll was the only child of Charles Carroll of Annapolis and Elizabeth Brooke. Despite being born into a wealthy family, Carroll faced significant challenges due to his Catholic faith, which was a minority religion in the original 13 colonies. Catholics were often viewed with suspicion and faced legal restrictions on their rights, including the inability to vote, hold public office, or worship openly in some colonies.
In spite of these obstacles, Carroll became a prominent figure in the Revolutionary Movement and played a crucial role in shaping the founding of the United States. He received an extensive Jesuit education in France, becoming fluent in five languages, and later served as a delegate to the Continental Congress. Carroll was also a signatory of the Declaration of Independence, making him the only Catholic signer. His signature on the Declaration, which reads "Charles Carroll of Carrollton," helped distinguish him from his father, who was still living at the time.
Carroll's wealth and education contributed to his influence during the Revolutionary period. He used his resources to sponsor Catholic Masses in his home and became a powerful voice for independence. After the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Carroll held various political positions within the newly formed nation. He was elected as a Maryland representative to the Continental Congress in 1776 and served as one of Maryland's first two U.S. Senators in 1789.
Carroll's impact extended beyond his political career. He was known for his strong support for religious freedom, a belief that shaped the founding principles of the United States. His ideas contributed to the creation of a nation where people had the freedom and liberty to practice their religion without government intrusion. Carroll's legacy is honoured in various places named after him, including cities, towns, and educational institutions across the country.
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Carroll's legacy and slaveholding
Charles Carroll, also known as Charles Carroll of Carrollton, was the only Catholic signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He was born in Annapolis, Maryland, on September 19, 1737, and was the only child of Charles Carroll of Annapolis and Elizabeth Brooke. Carroll's father was barred from participating in the political affairs of the colony due to his Catholic faith. As a consequence of his religion, Carroll himself was also prohibited from entering politics, practising law, and voting. Despite these restrictions, he became one of the wealthiest men in Maryland and was a powerful voice for independence. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1776 to 1778 and later became the first United States Senator for Maryland.
Carroll's legacy is closely tied to his Catholic faith and his role as a Founding Father of the United States. He was the last surviving signatory of the Declaration of Independence, dying 56 years after signing it. He is remembered for his devotion to his faith and his defence of religious freedom. Counties, cities, towns, schools, and neighbourhoods across the United States are named in his honour, reflecting his impact on the nation's history. Carroll's legacy is also marked by his contribution to the abolition movement, as he opposed the confiscation of Tory land and the enlistment of slaves into the American army without adequate compensation to slaveholders.
Carroll's family had ties to the Irish nobility, and his grandfather, also named Charles Carroll, was the first of the family to arrive in America in 1688. The Carrolls faced persecution in England due to their Catholic faith and found a more welcoming environment in Maryland, which was founded under the principle of religious tolerance. Over time, the family accumulated significant wealth and landholdings, including the family plantation, Doughoregan Manor.
As a slaveholder himself, Carroll inherited a large contingent of slaves from his father, along with the family plantation. While he opposed the enlistment of slaves in the American army without compensation to slaveholders, there is limited information available specifically on Carroll's views and actions regarding slavery. However, it is known that he shared the conservative heritage and ideals of the Southern planter class, which included the defence of slaveholding and the expansion of landholdings.
In summary, Charles Carroll's legacy is complex, as he played a significant role in the founding of the United States and the advancement of religious freedom, particularly for Catholics. At the same time, his position as a slaveholder and defender of conservative principles complicates his historical reputation. Carroll's life and actions reflect the contradictions and complexities of the early history of the United States, where the pursuit of freedom and independence coexisted with the reality of slavery and the struggle for racial equality.
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The Carroll family and Maryland's legacy of religious freedom
The Carroll family, a Catholic family in Maryland, played a significant role in the state's legacy of religious freedom. The family's history in Maryland began with the arrival of Charles Carroll, the Attorney General appointed by Charles Calvert, the Third Lord Baltimore, in 1688. Lord Baltimore, a Catholic himself, founded Maryland as a haven for Catholics in North America. However, the Catholic proprietary government in Maryland faced opposition from Protestant dissent, led by the renegade Anglican priest John Coode. This resulted in the overthrow of Lord Baltimore and the revocation of the Maryland Toleration Act of 1649, which had guaranteed religious freedom.
The Carroll family, despite facing discrimination and being forbidden to vote or hold office due to their religion, remained actively engaged in public affairs. Charles Carroll of Carrollton, born in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1737, became a prominent figure in American history. He was the only Catholic signatory of the Declaration of Independence, making him the first prominent Catholic politician in American history. Carroll's wealth and influence, combined with his commitment to the cause of American independence, left a lasting impact on the early Republic.
The Carroll family's wealth and sponsorship of Catholic Masses in their homes played a crucial role in supporting the Catholic community. They faced significant prejudice, as Catholics were seen by the Protestant majority as a danger to the state. Despite these challenges, the Carroll family's unwavering support for the American Revolution and its ideals of liberty and freedom became a source of inspiration.
Charles Carroll's cousin, Daniel Carroll, also played a significant role in framing the Constitution, while another cousin, John Carroll, became the first archbishop in the colonies, leading the Diocese of Baltimore. Charles Carroll himself held various political positions after signing the Declaration, including becoming one of Maryland's first two US Senators in 1789. The Carroll family's legacy in Maryland exemplifies the state's early commitment to religious freedom and the important contributions of Catholics to the founding of the United States.
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The Founding Fathers' religious backgrounds
The religious backgrounds of the Founding Fathers have been a topic of debate in the United States for some time, with online debaters and liberal critics claiming that the Founding Fathers were not Christian. However, the majority of the Founding Fathers were religious rationalists or Unitarians, and came from similar Christian backgrounds, with most being Protestants.
The largest number of Founding Fathers were raised in the three largest Christian traditions of colonial America: Anglicanism (John Jay, George Washington, and Edward Rutledge), Presbyterianism (Richard Stockton and the Rev. John Witherspoon), and Congregationalism (John Adams and Samuel Adams). Other Protestant groups included the Society of Friends (Quakers), the Lutherans, and the Dutch Reformed.
Three Founding Fathers were Roman Catholic: Charles Carroll and Daniel Carroll of Maryland, and Thomas Fitzsimmons of Pennsylvania. Catholics were a small and sometimes distrusted minority in the colonies, and in places like Maryland, they could not practice their faith openly, raise their children in the faith, or send them to Catholic schools. They were also prohibited from voting, serving in the legislature or certain professions, and their lands were double-taxed.
Despite their Christian backgrounds, many Founding Fathers were Deists, a belief system that influenced many educated and uneducated males of the Revolutionary generation. Deists believed in a supreme being who created the universe to operate solely by natural laws, but after creation, this being was absent from the world. Deists believed in human reason as a reliable means of solving social and political problems, and their belief in reason over dogma helped guide the founders toward a system of government that respected faiths like Christianity while keeping religion and governance separate.
Some Founding Fathers were traditional Christians who believed firmly in the divinity of Jesus Christ and the biblical story, such as Sam Adams, Patrick Henry, and Jon Jay. Additionally, many of the Founding Fathers' wives and daughters were practicing Christians.
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Were the Founding Fathers Christian?
The religious beliefs of America's Founding Fathers have been a topic of debate for some time, with some arguing that the Founding Fathers established the country under Christian doctrine, while others claim they were not Christian.
The majority of the Founding Fathers were religious rationalists or Unitarians, and many practiced Deism. Deism is a philosophical belief in human reason as a means of solving social and political problems, with a belief in a supreme being who created the universe and then stepped away from it, allowing it to operate solely by natural laws. Notable Founding Fathers who practiced Deism include Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, and Monroe. Deism influenced many educated males of the Revolutionary generation, and some continued their public affiliation with Christianity while inwardly holding unorthodox religious views.
Despite the prevalence of Deism, the Founding Fathers came from similar religious backgrounds, with most being Protestants. The largest number were from the three largest Christian traditions of colonial America: Anglicanism (including George Washington and John Jay), Presbyterianism (including Richard Stockton and John Witherspoon), and Congregationalism (such as John Adams). Other Protestant groups included Quakers, Lutherans, and the Dutch Reformed.
There were also a small number of Catholic Founding Fathers, including Charles Carroll and Daniel Carroll of Maryland, and Thomas Fitzsimmons of Pennsylvania. Catholics in colonial Maryland faced significant discrimination and were unable to practice their faith openly or participate in certain professions. Despite this, Charles Carroll played a key role in advocating for the nation's capital to be located in Washington, D.C., and his work as an architect of the Maryland Senate influenced the model for the U.S. Senate.
While the Founding Fathers had varying religious beliefs, they shared a commitment to religious freedom and the separation of church and state. They believed that a person's faith should not be intruded upon by the government and that religious doctrine should not be written into governance. This commitment to religious liberty is evident in the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of religion and the treaty of peace and friendship between the United States and Tripoli, which stated that the "government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."
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Frequently asked questions
Only two of the Founding Fathers were Catholic: Charles Carroll and Daniel Carroll.
The Founding Fathers came from similar religious backgrounds, with almost 100% of them being Christians, primarily Protestants.
The Founding Fathers believed in God and Jesus Christ but did not always agree with official Protestant or Catholic practices. They believed that individuals could have their own relationships with God.
While Deistic thought was popular in colleges during the middle of the 18th century and influenced many educated males of the Revolutionary generation, only two Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine and Ethan Allen, explicitly renounced Christianity in favor of Deism.
Charles Carroll came from Maryland, which had some of the most anti-Catholic laws in the colonies. Catholics in Maryland could not practice their faith openly, raise their children in the faith, or send them to Catholic schools. They could not vote, serve in the legislature or certain professions, and their lands were double-taxed. Despite this, Charles Carroll was a devout Catholic and supported Catholic charities, hospitals, schools, seminaries, and religious communities.
