
‎	‏John Taylor of Caroline was an early and ardent proponent of Republicanism.  Though he was primarily an agriculturalist,‭ ‬that very profession along with his brief career in politics created a man known for his dedication and outspokenness in matters of personal freedom and government.  His dedication to an agrarian system was the basis for almost all of his opinions concerning the government.  It was his attempt to preserve and encourage what he considered the most superior of all careers that colored his arguments on sovereignty,‭ ‬Constitutionality,‭ ‬and even the judicial system.
‎	‏John Taylor believed that the United States had a great opportunity to create an ideal system,‭ ‬because there was no native tradition to hinder the creators of the government,‭ ‬which allowed for the establishment of a system of self-government.  He believed strongly in the natural rights of man,‭ ‬and in the fact that they are all interdependent—meaning that if one is denied,‭ ‬then they all will fail,‭ ‬and the value of those remaining is lessened.  These rights should therefore be beyond the reach of the government.  He claimed that what some called the‭ “‬state of nature‭” ‬meant that those with physical prowess and malevolent intelligence were the ones that profited,‭ ‬but that in a civilization,‭ ‬this must not be the way.
‎	‏In order to create this ideal society,‭ ‬Taylor believed that a government must be made that accounts for the inherent good and evil inside of man.  Taylor was very rigid in his opinions on a dualistic morality.  He claimed that‭ “‬As government is exercised by man,‭ ‬all its virtues and vices must be human‭” (‬Ibid.,‭ ‬pg. 167‭)‬.  He defined good principles as those that protect private property,‭ ‬improve agriculture,‭ ‬and discourage capitalism,‭ ‬and believed that a government founded in good principles would function equitably regardless of its administration,‭ ‬which would inevitably be led by avarice and self-interest.  Self-interest,‭ ‬he believed,‭ ‬was man's motivation in all things,‭ ‬but that the trait was only considered evil when it led beyond the creation of a society based on the public good to sub-societies that lived at the expense of others.  A good government was necessary to retain man's natural evil,‭ ‬and even then it must be under careful observation to avoid the addition of bad principles.
‎	‏Taylor,‭ ‬like many other staunch Republicans of his time,‭ ‬called for a strict construction of the Constitution.  He wanted an extremely limited Federal government,‭ ‬with no more rights or powers allowed to it than were explicitly stated in the Constitution.  He knew that an extensive Federal government was expensive,‭ ‬and therefore likely to be despotic.  However,‭ ‬he believed that a simple,‭ ‬literal interpretation was dangerous,‭ ‬and that without reference to the intent of the writers,‭ ‬such a method could easily become corrupt.  Even more,‭ ‬he considered the Declaration of Independence the true charter of the United States,‭ ‬because it more explicitly describes the country as a group of sovereign states rather than one nation.