John Page of Rosewell: Reason, religion, and republican government from the perspective of a Virginia planter, 1743-1808

To Page, American independence meant republican government. His political thought derived from a mixture of forces: Whig ideology, Christian theology, Enlightenment philosophy, personal experience, family heritage, and the planter society in which he lived. Unlike most gentry, Page envisioned a time when the Republic would approach a Christian utopia. The central component of his ideal republic was virtue. Although supporting disestablishment of the Anglican church, he favored a general tax for Christian clergymen. In the latitudinarian tradition, Page attempted theological reform, hoping to unite the "rational" sects. Recoiling at religious "enthusiasm," he sought a Christian consensus, just as he sought a political one--free from factionalism and party spirit. As the only active patriot among Virginia's Royal councillors, Page played a unique role in the forefront of the Revolution. He was a wartime executive, a fixture in eight years. Later, he was elected governor. As a Federalist ally of James Madison in the First Congress, Page played an important role in early legislative decisions. But quick to turn against the Hamiltonian Federalists, Page represented a vocal minority that found the seeds of corruption and eventually conspiracy in almost any effort to strengthen the central government. Voicing the same revolutionary rhetoric throughout life, he never retreated from his view that Christian virtue was essential if America was to achieve its republican and religious mission for the benefit of all mankind. Page was a transitional republican. He provided continuity between the monarchy and the new state government. He was a radical revolutionary, but not an educational and religious reformer as Jefferson and Madison. Wishing to improve America's image within the international scientific community, he stressed university education, not the public primary levels. He embraced the spirit of enlightened science and rational inquiry, yet, he thought it impious to probe the nature of God. Abhorring a titled nobility, he accepted a ranked society. Never fully understanding pluralism, he hoped that the republican environment would allow Christian truth to prevail. He opposed slavery, but was trapped by it, economically and politically.