John Taylor of Caroline facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids John Taylor of Caroline


United States Senator from Virginia
In office December 18, 1822 – August 21, 1824
Preceded by	James Pleasants
Succeeded by	Littleton W. Tazewell
In office June 4, 1803 – December 7, 1803
Appointed by	John Page
Preceded by	Stevens T. Mason
Succeeded by	Abraham B. Venable
In office October 18, 1792 – May 11, 1794
Preceded by	Richard H. Lee
Succeeded by	Henry Tazewell
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Caroline County
In office 1796–1800
In office 1783–1785
In office 1779–1782

Personal details
Born	(1753-12-19)December 19, 1753 Caroline County, Colony of Virginia
Died	August 21, 1824(1824-08-21) (aged 70) Caroline County, Virginia
Political party	Democratic-Republican
Alma mater	College of William and Mary
Profession	Lawyer, planter

John Taylor (December 19, 1753 – August 21, 1824), often called John Taylor of Caroline, was an important American politician and writer. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates and as a United States Senator for Virginia. He wrote several books about politics and farming. Taylor was a Jeffersonian Republican, meaning he followed the ideas of Thomas Jefferson. His writings helped inspire later movements that supported states' rights and individual freedom. Historians see his ideas as a mix of Locke's views on natural rights and a classical interest in citizens taking part in government. He believed this would prevent too much power and wealth from building up.

Early Life and Education
Political Career and Writings
What Were John Taylor's Main Ideas?
- Views on Slavery
- Support for States' Rights
Legacy and Important Works
See also
Suggested Reading

Early Life and Education

John Taylor was born in Virginia in 1753. Some sources say he was born in Orange County, while others say Caroline County. His parents were James Taylor and Ann Pollard. Ann's sister, Sarah Pollard, was married to Edmund Pendleton, a key figure in Virginia's early history. John Taylor was also related to Zachary Taylor, who later became a U.S. President.

John Taylor studied at the College of William & Mary, graduating in 1770. He then studied law and started practicing in Caroline County in 1774. When the American Revolutionary War began, he joined the Continental Army and became a colonel in the cavalry.

Political Career and Writings

Taylor served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1779 to 1787. He was a very influential member during this time. He stopped practicing law to focus on politics and farming.

In 1792, he was chosen to fill a vacant seat in the United States Senate. He was elected for a full term in 1793 but resigned in 1794. He also served as a presidential elector in 1797. Taylor was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson. As a member of the House of Delegates, he helped introduce the Virginia and Kentucky Resolves, which argued for states' rights.

Taylor returned to the U.S. Senate two more times. He served briefly in 1803 and again from 1822 until his death in 1824. He passed away at his home in Caroline County.

John Taylor was a very active political writer. He wrote several important books, including:

An Inquiry into the Principles and Policy of the Government of the United States (1814)
Construction Construed and the Constitution Vindicated (1820)
Tyranny Unmasked (1822)
New Views of the Constitution of the United States (1823)

He was also interested in farming. In 1811, he became the first president of the Virginia Agricultural Societies. His book Arator (meaning "Ploughman" in Latin), published in 1818, was one of the first American books about agriculture. Taylor County, West Virginia, was named in his honor.

What Were John Taylor's Main Ideas?

Historians consider John Taylor a very important political thinker. He is seen as a key philosopher of Jeffersonian democracy. He believed in protecting local communities and traditional ways of life. He also had a strong distrust of capitalism, rapid "progress," and too much government power.

Taylor was an agrarian, meaning he believed that happiness came from owning a family farm and having free time. He didn't have a strong liking for organized religion or strict social classes. He thought that people were a mix of good and bad, and that self-interest often guided human actions.

Taylor believed that society's rules could be good, even if individuals weren't perfect. He thought that problems in society came from groups like bankers, those who supported paper money, or manufacturers who benefited from high taxes on imports (tariffs). He wanted to remove the power of these groups and reduce the influence of the executive branch and the Supreme Court. He felt that the more a nation relied on individuals being good, the less likely it was to stay free.

Views on Slavery

John Taylor wrote in defense of slavery, but he also admitted it was wrong. He stated that he didn't approve of slavery, but he feared that ending it suddenly would lead to violence, like what happened in the Haitian Revolution. He believed that formerly enslaved people would face challenges in American society. He suggested that free Black people should be moved out of the country.

Taylor saw slavery as a "misfortune" for farming that couldn't be fully removed, only made a bit better. He disagreed with Thomas Jefferson's strong focus on the cruel parts of slavery. Taylor argued that enslaved people could be "docile, useful and happy" if managed well. He also claimed that slave owners were limited by their ownership and could be humane. He even suggested that religion connected the happiness of both the owner and the enslaved person.

Later thinkers, like John C. Calhoun, used Taylor's ideas to argue that slavery was actually a "positive good."

Support for States' Rights

Taylor strongly believed in states' rights. His role in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions showed how seriously he took the idea that states had reserved rights, including the right to oppose federal laws (nullification) or even leave the Union (secession). He helped guide the Virginia Resolution, written by James Madison, through the Virginia legislature.

He believed that too much political power always led to too much wealth, and too much wealth always led to too much political power. He thought that great differences in wealth and poverty were not natural. Instead, he saw them as results of unfair government actions or tricks. Along with others, Taylor opposed the War of 1812, even though it was supported by his own political party. He saw it as a war for more power and land.

Taylor's book New Views of the Constitution of the United States argued that American history proved that states were sovereign (had independent power) within the Union. This was against the ideas of those who wanted a stronger national government, like Chief Justice John Marshall.

Legacy and Important Works

John Taylor's main plantation, Hazelwood, is located near Port Royal, Virginia, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Taylor County, West Virginia, was named in his honor in 1844.

Taylor's writings are very important for understanding the political ideas of the early United States, especially the South. He was a strong supporter of states' rights and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. He argued against the financial plans of Alexander Hamilton, who was the first Secretary of the Treasury.

His book Construction Construed and Constitutions Vindicated was a response to events after the War of 1812. These included a Supreme Court decision (McCulloch v. Maryland), the printing of too much paper money, ideas for a protective tariff (a tax on imported goods), and the debate over slavery in Missouri. Taylor, like many Southerners, feared these actions would harm American republicanism. He believed they were attempts by a "capitalist sect" to corrupt the American people and upset the balance of power between state and federal governments.

Taylor wrote that if the federal government had unlimited ways to use its power, it could easily destroy the powers of the state governments. Thomas Jefferson greatly admired Taylor's work, calling Construction Construed and Constitutions Vindicated "the most logical retraction of our governments to the original and true principles of the Constitution." Later Southern thinkers, like John C. Calhoun, were clearly influenced by Taylor's ideas.