Who was John Taylor of Caroline and why he matters to Americans today
If there was ever anyone who “out Jeffersoned” Jefferson it was John Taylor of Caroline. Thomas Jefferson is widely considered to be the hero of the founding generation when it comes to states’ rights, individual liberty, republicanism and agrarianism. Don’t get me wrong, there is no doubt that the “Sage of Monticello” is to be revered as a champion of all these things. However, regarding written political philosophy, the only official thing Jefferson ever wrote besides miscellaneous papers/letters and the Declaration of Independence was his Notes on the State of Virginia. John Taylor, however, was a true pamphleteer and a prolific writer of books. Due to his influence, the political philosophy of the Jefferson Republicans was able to spread throughout America during late 18th and early 19th century. President Jefferson once famously remarked that Taylor’s An Inquiry into the Principles and Policy of the Government of the United States should be required reading for every student of American Constitutional theory.