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Freedom must include the right to build a better life.
Today, on our seventh day of celebrating the freedoms our Founding Fathers staked their lives on, we highlight a right that’s often overlooked but was absolutely central to their vision: the right to own property — to prosper through your own hard work without fear of unfair seizure or control.

Our spotlight today shines on Charles Carroll of Carrollton — the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence and one of the wealthiest men in the colonies.

But Carroll knew that true wealth isn’t measured in gold — it’s measured in the freedom to earn it honestly and pass it on to your children without a king’s greedy hand reaching into your pocket.

A Risk Few Could Afford

Charles Carroll was born into privilege. His family owned vast estates in Maryland, but as a Catholic, he faced discrimination and restrictions that made him an outsider in the Anglican-dominated colonies.

Still, Carroll didn’t hide behind his wealth. He risked more than most by putting his name on the Declaration — at the time, he was probably the single richest man in America, which meant he had more to lose if the Revolution failed.

When asked why he signed, Carroll said he wanted to show the British that the fight for freedom crossed class lines — that every person, rich or poor, deserved the same right to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Why Property Rights Matter

The Founders believed that liberty was hollow if people could not own and protect what they worked for. In the Old World, kings and aristocrats could seize land, money, or homes at will. Peasants worked land they’d never own.

In the New World, the promise was different: you could own your land, build your home, plant your crops, and build a legacy for your family. It was the foundation of what would become the American Dream.

Thomas Jefferson famously wrote that our rights include “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But in earlier drafts, it was “life, liberty, and property.” To the Founders, the two ideas were inseparable — your ability to prosper freely was part of your God-given liberty.

Still Relevant Today

Property rights are about more than real estate. They’re about the freedom to build a business, grow your savings, choose your career, and decide how to use what you earn.

When government oversteps — taxing unfairly, regulating oppressively, or redistributing wealth without consent — it chips away at the very promise Carroll risked his fortune to protect.

What Charles Carroll Would Tell Us Now

Carroll’s life reminds us that prosperity shouldn’t be something only a few enjoy — it should be possible for anyone willing to work for it. And it should be protected by law so no ruler, government, or corporation can take it away unfairly.

He understood that economic freedom empowers people to be generous, to invest in their communities, and to break the chains of poverty — for themselves and the generations after them.

A Call for Today

This Independence Day, think about Charles Carroll signing his name with everything on the line — family estates, titles, wealth — and then think about what he signed for: the simple but radical idea that what you build is yours.

If we ever forget that prosperity is a freedom — not a privilege granted by politicians — we risk losing the ladder that lifts people out of poverty and into possibility.

So protect what you earn. Defend the right of your neighbors to do the same. Teach your kids that wealth is built through sweat and stewardship — not taken by force or doled out by rulers.

A nation that guards the right to property guards the promise of prosperity for everyone willing to reach for it.

Tomorrow, on Day 8, we’ll stand with Roger Sherman — the only person to sign all four founding documents — and remember the right to gather, protest, and petition when our leaders forget who they serve.

To our freedom,

Matt

P.S. Remember Psalm 146:3-5