Carter Braxton was one of the Founding Fathers and a signatory of the Declaration of Independence who was also a slave owner, a Virginia planter and a merchant. He participated in Virginia's legislature, including the House of Burgesses and as a Delegate to the Continental Congress until August 1776. Braxton also served on the Committee of Safety for Virginia patriots in 1774. Despite selling some properties due to debts from his father and brother's passing, Braxton still owned 12,000 acres and 165 slaves after the Revolutionary War. Although not a Loyalist, he was considered a moderate revolutionary and sympathized with the British.
