Student Question
Who were the two Catholic signers of the Constitution?
Quick answer:
Thomas Fitzsimons of Pennsylvania and Daniel Carroll of Maryland were the two Catholic signers of the U.S. Constitution. Fitzsimons, who advocated for the end of slavery and taxing imports and exports, later served in the House of Representatives. Carroll supported limiting federal powers and became a Congressman and Commissioner of Washington, D.C. Both contributed significantly to the formation and governance of the early United States.
When the Constitutional Convention met, there were initially seventy men that were chosen to amend the Articles of Confederation, which led to the development of the Constitution. As the meetings and deliberations continued, differing opinions regarding the role and power of government clashed, and in the end, only thirty-nine delegates actually signed. This was enough of a majority to pass the Constitution, but of those thirty-nine men, only two of them were Catholic: Thomas Fitzsimons of Pennsylvania and Daniel Carroll of Maryland. Fitzsimons advocated for the end of slavery and taxing imports and exports. After signing, he served in the House for three sessions, and then left politics but remained active in both business and civic affairs. Carroll advocated for limiting powers granted to the federal government and reserving those powers not mentioned in the Constitution for the state or the people. After signing the Constitution, he became a member of Congress and named as Commissioner of DC by George Washington.
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