A Patriarch and His Family in the Early Republic: The Papers of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, 1782–1832 (Volumes 1–4) (hc) - Hoffman

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A Patriarch and His Family in the Early Republic: The Papers of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, 1782–1832 concludes the seven-volume annotated edition inaugurated in 2001 by the publication of Dear Papa, Dear Charley: The Peregrinations of a Revolutionary Aristocrat. The post-Revolutionary story of the only Roman Catholic and last surviving signer of the American Declaration of Independence is situated in the broader Atlantic world. It offers readers insight into the lives of Carroll and his family, as well as the enslaved and free people with whom they interacted. Published in the year that the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, the letters, journals, inventories, and other documents that comprise the four volumes illustrate this critical period in the early republic’s history. 

Reviews and Praise:

 Drawing together a diverse array of public and private documents to illuminate past worlds, the editors of the Charles Carroll of Carrollton Papers offer a compelling portrait of early American experience. Letters, shopping lists, and marriage agreements show how Carroll and his fellow citizens labored to create a nation. Placing the sole Catholic signer of the American Declaration of Independence squarely in the republic’s critical saga of Anglo-American commercial politics, the editors’ judicious selection and thoughtful annotation invite fresh scholarship in political, religious, and family history.

—Sara Georgini, Series Editor, The Papers of John Adams, Massachusetts Historical Society

It is fitting that the publication of the final volumes of the papers of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic signer of the American Declaration of Independence, should take place during the year celebrating the 250th anniversary of that document. The papers presented in these four meticulously edited volumes illuminate the first contours of the new republic that the Declaration—and Carroll—helped to create. This magisterial work, over two decades in the making, is destined to become indispensable to any serious study of the early American Republic.

—Annette Gordon-Reed, Carl M. Loeb University Professor, Harvard University; Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family

These four volumes are the culminating work of a team of scholars with deep knowledge of the Carrolls of Maryland and the plantation complex that gave them wealth and power. Through the eyes of this one extraordinarily well-documented family we learn about the anxieties of patriarchs in a revolutionary age, the struggles of Catholics to achieve civil and political standing in the new nation, the staggering cost in human labor required to prop up patriarchal power, and the domestic storms that upended even the most privileged families after the Revolution. We even gain some glimmer of understanding of the lives of the enslaved men and women who toiled in the Carroll fields for four generations. A monumental achievement.

—Susan Juster, W. M. Keck Foundation Director of Research at The Huntington; author of A Common Grave: Being Catholic in English America

Charles Carroll of Carrollton has too often been remembered primarily as the only Catholic and last surviving signer of the American Declaration of Independence. In four authoritative volumes containing almost three thousand pages, this edition illustrates every facet of a very long and consequential post-Revolutionary career. Adhering to the highest standards of scholarly documentary editing, this release brings the project to a triumphant close and will be indispensable for all future students of every aspect of early national America, including, but not limited to, agriculture, Catholic life, childhood, economics, education, family life, Maryland politics and culture, slavery, and transatlantic exchange.

—J. Jefferson Looney, Daniel P. Jordan Editor of The Papers of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello

Rigorously edited, thoroughly researched, and profoundly revelatory, these final four volumes of the papers of Charles Carroll of Carrollton open new vistas on post-Revolutionary Maryland. The range of subjects is astonishing, from religious life to slavery, politics, finance, agriculture, and family. This is a history everyone should know. An immense achievement. 

—William G. Thomas III, Lynton Prize-winning author of A Question of Freedom: The Families Who Challenged Slavery from the Nation’s Founding to the Civil War

Theirs was a patriarchal world, and the Carrolls both ruled and were ruled by it. The Carrolls themselves, enslaving hundreds and managing bumpy family and political fortunes, illuminate the challenges and contradictions of the young nation and beyond, and the insights we gain into the lives of enslaved people and their families are invaluable. With stunning depth and integrity, these essential volumes confirm that expert documentary editions will inform and inspire historical inquiry for generations.

—Karin Wulf, Director and Librarian, John Carter Brown Library, and Professor of History, Brown University; author of Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection in Early America

Editors: Ronald Hoffman, Mary C. Jeske, and Sally D. Mason

ISBN: 978-0984213566