Episode 645 Show Notes- Charles Carroll: The Catholic Revolutionary Who Outlived the Revolution
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Episode Description
In this episode of the America’s Founding Series, Professor Nick Giordano tells the remarkable story of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence and the only Catholic to sign it. Born into immense wealth but denied basic rights due to his faith, Carroll risked everything to support American independence. His signature was more than ink. It represented a bold commitment to the words, “we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” Discover how this overlooked Founder became a powerful voice for liberty, challenged religious discrimination, and helped shape a freer nation, despite the contradictions he carried.
Episode Highlights:
- The story of how a wealthy Catholic outsider became a key voice in America’s fight for independence and a signer of the Declaration
- Why Charles Carroll risked everything by boldly signing the Declaration of Independence with “of Carrollton” to ensure the British knew it was him
- How Carroll championed religious freedom, helped lay the foundation for the First Amendment, and his internal contradictions on slavery
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Show Notes- Charles Carroll: The Catholic Revolutionary Who Outlived the Revolution
02:25 A Rebel from the Elite
03:15 The Early Life of Charles Carroll as the Catholic Outsider
06:01 Charles Carroll’s Role in the American Revolution
07:30 Charles Carroll is the Only Catholic to Sign the Declaration of Independence
10:30 Advocacy for Religious Rights
12:18 Contradictions in Carroll’s Legacy Regarding Slavery
14:00 Carroll’s Enduring Impact on America
Mercy Otis Warren: The Revolutionary Woman Who Used Her Pen as a Sword
America’s Founding Series – The P.A.S. Report Podcast
Charles Carroll of Carrollton was one of the most remarkable and overlooked Founding Fathers of the United States. In the latest episode of America’s Founding Series on The P.A.S. Report Podcast, Professor Nick Giordano brings his incredible story to life. From his birth into immense wealth in colonial Maryland to his defiant signature on the Declaration of Independence, Carroll’s life is a powerful reminder of the courage, complexity, and contradictions at the heart of the American founding.
Despite being denied the right to vote or hold office because of his Catholic faith, Carroll emerged as a leading advocate for liberty. He used the power of his pen to challenge British authority. He fought for religious freedom and risked everything to support the cause of independence. When he signed the Declaration, he famously added “of Carrollton” to ensure the British would know exactly who had committed this act of treason.
This episode explores Carroll’s legacy as the only Catholic signer of the Declaration and the last surviving Founding Father. He lived long enough to lay the cornerstone for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1828. It also confronts the moral complexities of Carroll’s life, including his ownership of slaves. Consequently, he believed slavery was evil and held an unwavering belief in liberty.
Tune in to learn how Charles Carroll helped shape the principles of religious freedom and self-governance that remain essential to the American identity today.
Listen to the full episode of America’s Founding Series to learn more.
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