Even Charles Carroll of Carrollton,
one of the Signers of the Declaration of
Independence, voted in favor of a gen-
eral tax to support religion.100 At
this point something should be said
about the family Carroll, which in large
measure took over the traditions left by
the early Calverts. The Carrolls were
Catholics, and as such were persecuted
in England; it could well have been the
family motto, "Wherever with Liberty,"
which prompted them to come to Mary-
land. The first Charles Carroll arrived
in the midst of Coode's rebellion (1688
ff.) and quickly became the champion
of oppressed Catholics and nonconform-
ing Protestants. His son, Charles Car-
roll of Doughoregan, was educated
among Jesuits and spent much of his
career campaigning against laws "to
prevent popery." He was influential in
the legislative defeat of a drastic anti-
Catholic statute and violently — though
unsuccessfully — opposed a bill which
levied double taxation on Catholics.
The passage of this bill so discouraged
him that he hesitated to encourage his
son — Charles Carroll of Carrollton, then
being educated in France — to come
home to Maryland. However, the son
was as high spirited as the father used
to be. He chose for himself, and re-
turned to Maryland at the dawn of the
American Revolution.101
At first, the intention of Carroll of
Carrollton was to avoid politics, but
events of the day quickly forced him
into the arena. Less than six weeks
after his arrival at Annapolis, the Stamp
Act was passed by Parliament. Carroll
recommended and spearheaded a boy-
cott of British goods and when Daniel
100 Id. at 67; werline, supra note 52 at
151.
101 For short but relevant biographies, see
ives, supra note 61 at 260-96.
28
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Dulaney, a Tory sympathizer, attacked
him on the basis of his religion, the
young statesman emerged with an over-
whelmingly popular victory. His mag-
nanimous reply to Dulaney, "we [Cath-
olics] remember yet we forgive" won
public sentiment for religious as well as
civil liberty. Under CarrolPs leadership,
the Provincial Convention of 1775 ex-
tended the franchise to all freemen hav-
ing an estate of 40 pounds, without any
regard to religious affiliation. This
marked the first time since the Catholic
Lords Baltimore that both Protestant
and Catholic could go to the polls to-
gether. Some believe Carroll to be the
first American patriot to have expressed
himself in favor of independence, and
to have had absolute faith in the ulti-
mate freedom of the colonies.102
On the eve of the Revolution, Charles
Carroll of Carrollton had stated, "I am
as averse to having religion crammed
down my throat as to a proclama-
tion."103 In a mission to win over
French Canadians to the American
cause, he had promised:
"that we hold sacred the rights of
conscience and may promise to the
whole people . . . the free and un-
disturbed exercise of their religion;
. . . that all ... Christians be
equally entitled to hold offices and
enjoy civil privileges and ... be
totally exempt from the payment
of any titles or taxes for the sup-
port of any religion."104
As much if not more a champion of
tolerance and liberty was Carroll of
Carrollton's close friend and cousin,
102 Id. at 300-16.
103 A. nevins, the american states
during and after the revolution 1775-
1789, at 430 (1924).
104 ives, supra note 61 at 324-25.
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