What are Daniel Carroll's the founding father accomplishments?

Answer 1

First, it is worth noting that Daniel Carroll was not only one of the Founding Fathers; he was one of only two Catholics (all the rest were Protestants) to sign the Constitution, reinforcing that in the newly independent United States, there would not be any one established religion. Carroll was an active participant in the Constitutional Convention, and thus, influential in helping to determine the direction the new government would take. For example, he believed in the necessity of having a strong leader (the president) and a strong central government (congress), but he believed there should be limits to that power. He did not want the president to be like a king, accountable to no-one; nor did he want the president appointed by the legislature and thus accountable to only a few men. In fact, he did not want the members of congress to be paid a salary by the states, out of concern that the members would feel beholden to those who paid them, and not do their duty for the entire country. Further, he agreed with the doctrine that the powers not specifically given to the Federal Government by the Constitution should be given to the states.

Carroll was very close friends and a supporter of George Washington, and he seems to have respected Washington as an ideal leader (Washington respected him in return, and later in Carroll's life, they were partners in a business venture.) Carroll became a representative in the first congress; he then served in the Maryland senate, where he was tasked with helping to survey what became the District of Columbia. He even became a commissioner (like a mayor) of the new city, although he only served in that role briefly, due to ill health.