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John Randolph (June 2, 1773May 24, 1833), known as John Randolph of Roanoke,〔''Roanoke'' refers to Roanoke Plantation in Charlotte County, Virginia, not to the city of the same name.〕 was a planter, and a Congressman from Virginia, serving in the House of Representatives at various times between 1799 and 1833, the Senate (1825–1827), and also as Minister to Russia (1830). After serving as President Thomas Jefferson's spokesman in the House, he broke with Jefferson in 1803 and became the leader of the "Old Republican" or "Quids", an extreme states' rights vanguard of the Democratic-Republican Party〔Varon, Elizabeth R. ''Disunion! The coming of the American Civil War.'' University of North Carolina Press.2008, p. 36〕 who wanted to restrict the role of the federal government. Specifically, Randolph promoted the Principles of '98, which said that individual states could judge the constitutionality of central government laws and decrees, and could refuse to enforce laws deemed unconstitutional. A quick thinking orator with a wicked wit, he was committed to republicanism and advocated a commercial agrarian society throughout his three decades in Congress. Randolph's conservative stance, displayed in his arguments against debt and for the rights of the landed gentry, have been attributed to his ties to his family estate and the elitist values of his native Southside Virginia. His belief in the importance of a landed gentry led him to oppose the abolition of entail and primogeniture, "The old families of Virginia will form connections with low people, and sink into the mass of overseers' sons and daughters". 〔 Alan Taylor, The Internal Enemy 〕 Randolph vehemently opposed the War of 1812 and the Missouri Compromise of 1820; he was active in debates about tariffs, manufacturing, and currency. With mixed feelings about slavery, he was one of the founders of the American Colonization Society in 1816, to send free blacks to a colony in Africa. However, he also believed that slavery was a necessity in Virginia, saying, "The question of slavery, as it is called, is to us a question of life and death ...You will find no instance in history where two distinct races have occupied the soil except in the relation of master and slave" 〔 Alan Taylor, The Internal Enemy〕 Contrary to his beliefs, Randolph remained dependent on hundreds of slaves to work his tobacco plantation. But, he provided for their manumission and resettlement in the free state of Ohio in his will, providing monies for the purchase of land and supplies. They founded Rossville, now part of Piqua, Ohio. Randolph was admired by the community and his supporters for his fiery character and was known as a man that was passionate about education and equality for all. He applied rousing electioneering methods, which he also enjoyed as a hobby. Randolph appealed directly to yeomen, using entertaining and enlightening oratory, sociability, and community of interest, particularly in agriculture. This resulted in an enduring voter attachment to him regardless of his personal deficiencies. His defense of limited government appeals to modern and contemporary conservatives, most notably Russell Kirk (1918–1994). Randolph was a descendant of Pocahontas ==Biography== Randolph was born at Cawsons, Virginia (now in Hopewell, Virginia), the son of rich tobacco planter John Randolph (1742–1775) and Frances Bland (1744–1788). His families, the Randolph family of Virginia and the Bland family of Virginia, are both counted among the prominent First Families of Virginia and were close cousins to each other. He was the grandson of both Richard Randolph and Theodorick Bland of Cawsons who were, respectively, the grandson and great-grandson of William Randolph and Mary Isham of Turkey Island. He was the grand nephew of both Richard Bland and Peyton Randolph, the two pillars of the First Continental Congress, the nephew of Congressman Theodorick Bland and step-nephew of Thomas Tudor Tucker, a half brother of Henry St. George Tucker, Sr. and Nathaniel Beverley Tucker, and a cousin of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson's mother was the daughter of Isham Randolph of Dungeness.〔 His step-father, St. George Tucker, married his widowed mother in 1778. His maternal fourth great grandfather was Richard Bennett (Governor) of Virginia, elected to that office during the Cromwell Protectorate and a Puritan at the time who in 1672 was converted to the Quaker movement by George Fox.〔(Louise Pecquet du Bellet, ''Some Prominent Virginia Families'', p. 161 )〕 A genetic aberration—possibly Klinefelter syndrome—left him beardless and with a soprano pre-pubescent voice throughout his life. First studying under private tutors, Randolph attended Walter Maury's private school, then the College of New Jersey, and Columbia College, New York City. He studied law in Philadelphia, but never practiced. His interment was in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「John Randolph of Roanoke」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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