Simone Lawson
South Carolina has had seven constitutions, adopted in 1669, 1776, 1778, 1790, 1865, 1868, and 1895. The state sent four representatives to the Constitutional Convention: Pierce Butler, Charles Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and John Rutledge. These men, all wealthy, white, and privileged, played a significant role in shaping the future of the United States.
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What You'll Learn
Richard Bassett of Delaware
Richard Bassett, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was born on April 2, 1745, in Cecil County, Maryland. He was a lawyer and politician who played a significant role in the formation of the United States Constitution and the state of Delaware. Bassett studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1770, starting his legal practice in Dover, Delaware. During the Revolutionary War, he served as a captain of the Dover Light Horse Regiment and the Delaware State Militia from 1777 to 1781. Bassett also served on the Delaware Council of Safety from 1776 to 1777 and on the Governor's Council for ten years.
Bassett entered politics as a member of the Delaware Constitutional Convention in 1776 and 1792. He served in the Delaware State Senate in 1782 and was a member of the Delaware House of Representatives in 1786. In 1787, he was a delegate to the US Constitutional Convention, where he diligently attended sessions but did not actively participate in debates or committees. Despite his reserved nature at the convention, Bassett was a signatory to the United States Constitution, making him one of the key figures in establishing the nation's foundational document.
Following the Constitutional Convention, Bassett continued his political career in Delaware. He was a member of the Delaware convention that ratified the United States Constitution in 1787. Bassett then served in the US Senate from 1789 to 1793, first as a member of the Anti-Administration Party and later as a member of the Pro-Administration Party. During his time in the Senate, he voted in favour of the president's power to remove governmental officers and against Hamilton's plan for the federal assumption of state debts.
Bassett's political career advanced further as he became the fourth Governor of Delaware in 1798, taking office on January 9, 1799. During his tenure, he worked to establish the continental army and supported the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, which were opposed by the Delaware Legislature. Bassett resigned from the governor's office in 1801 to accept an appointment as a judge of the US Circuit Court. However, his judgeship was abolished by the Jeffersonian Republicans, leading him to retire from politics. Richard Bassett passed away on August 15, 1815, at the age of 70, and was interred at the Brandywine Cemetery in Wilmington, Delaware.
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John Blair of Virginia
John Blair Jr. (April 17, 1732 – August 31, 1800) was an American Founding Father and a delegate from Virginia who signed the United States Constitution. He was born in Williamsburg, Colony of Virginia, and was the eldest surviving son of Mary (Monro) and her merchant and politician husband, John Blair. Blair attended the College of William and Mary, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in 1754. He then went on to study law in London at the Middle Temple in 1755.
Admitted to the Virginia bar in 1757, John Blair began practising law and was quickly immersed in public life. He was elected to the seat reserved for the College of William and Mary in the House of Burgesses, serving from 1766 to 1799. He also served as clerk of the Governor's Council, the upper house of the colonial legislature, from 1770 to 1780. Blair initially aligned with the moderate wing of the Patriot cause, opposing Patrick Henry's extremist resolutions against the Stamp Act. However, the dissolution of the House of Burgesses by Parliament caused him to shift his stance. In 1770 and 1774, he joined George Washington and others in drafting nonimportation agreements, pledging to cease importing British goods until the taxes were repealed.
As the American Revolution unfolded, John Blair actively participated in the government of Virginia. He was a member of the convention that drafted Virginia's constitution in 1776 and held several important committee positions. He served on the Committee of 28, which framed the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the plan of government. Additionally, he was a member of the Privy Council, Governor Patrick Henry's advisory group, from 1776 to 1778. Blair's judicial career began with his election to a judgeship in the General Court in 1778, and he soon rose to the position of chief justice. He also served on Virginia's High Court of Chancery, now known as the Virginia Supreme Court, starting in 1780.
John Blair Jr.'s contributions extended beyond Virginia. He was appointed an Associate Justice on the first U.S. Supreme Court by George Washington. On this esteemed court, he influenced the interpretation of the Constitution through his involvement in several important decisions. Blair's legal prowess and devotion to the idea of a permanent union among the newly independent states earned him the respect of his contemporaries.
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Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Pinckney entered public service in 1769 as a member of the South Carolina Assembly and served in the First South Carolina Provincial Congress in 1775. He joined the military during the American Revolution, serving as an aide to General George Washington at Brandywine and Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1777. He rose to the rank of colonel and later commanded a regiment at the siege of Savannah, Georgia. Pinckney was promoted to brigadier general in 1783 and continued his public service, serving in both houses of the South Carolina legislature.
In 1787, Pinckney served as a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention, which drafted a new federal constitution. He played a crucial role in ensuring that South Carolina ratified the United States Constitution. Pinckney's influence extended beyond politics, with a town and district in South Carolina bearing his name since 1791. In 1796, he accepted the position of minister to France, but his efforts were thwarted by the French Directory's refusal to recognize him, leading to an incident known as the XYZ Affair.
Despite his initial resistance to joining a major political party, Pinckney eventually aligned himself with the Federalist Party. He was the Federalist presidential nominee in 1804 and 1808 but lost to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, respectively. Pinckney spent his later years practising law and engaging in philanthropic activities. He was a charter member of the board of trustees of South Carolina College and held leadership roles in various societies, including the Charleston Bible Society and the Charleston Library Society. Pinckney died in Charleston in 1825 at the age of 79.
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Pierce Butler
Butler defended slavery for personal and political reasons, arguing that slaves represented property wealth and should be counted fully for representation purposes. He is said to have introduced a Fugitive Slave Clause in the Constitution, although the authorship came under question. He also supported the financial program of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Party.
Butler was a first-generation immigrant from Ireland and initially served as a British officer. He resigned his commission prior to the Revolutionary War and settled in Charleston, South Carolina. He aided the American cause during the war and was elected to the United States Senate in 1789, serving until his resignation in 1796. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1802 but resigned again in 1804.
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John Rutledge
After studying law in Charleston and later at Middle Temple in London, Rutledge was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 1761 and quickly rose to prominence in his field. He served in the Commons House of Assembly from 1761 to 1775 and was a vocal advocate for the rights of colonists, opposing acts such as the Stamp Act, Townshend Act, and Tea Act. In 1765, he represented South Carolina at the Stamp Act Congress, where he protested taxes imposed on the Thirteen Colonies by the British Parliament.
Rutledge's political career advanced as he was elected to the First Continental Congress in 1774, serving alongside his brother Edward Rutledge. During this time, he made a notable contribution to the debate on vote apportionment, arguing for each colony to have one vote. He continued to serve in the First and Second Continental Congresses until 1776, when he was elected president of South Carolina under a new state constitution. He served as the state's president during the American Revolutionary War until 1778, when he resigned due to disagreements with the amended constitution.
In 1787, Rutledge was chosen as one of South Carolina's delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where he played a crucial role in shaping the United States Constitution. He served as chairman of the Committee of Detail, which produced the first full draft of the Constitution. Rutledge advocated for a strong central government with increased but limited powers and promoted the protection of slavery, reflecting the interests of Southern planters. He also supported the concept of dividing society into classes as a basis for representation and proposed high property qualifications for holding office.
Following the Constitutional Convention, Rutledge participated in South Carolina's convention to ratify the Constitution in 1788. In 1789, President George Washington appointed him as one of the inaugural associate justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, a position he held until 1791. Rutledge then served as chief justice of the South Carolina Court of Common Pleas and Sessions from 1791 to 1795. In 1795, he was nominated as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court but failed to receive Senate confirmation due to his outspoken opposition to the Jay Treaty with Britain. This rejection, along with personal struggles, led to Rutledge's withdrawal from public life until his death in 1800.
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Frequently asked questions
Pierce Butler, Charles Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and John Rutledge.
Four.
Pierce Butler was a South Carolina delegate who worked with Charles Pinckney to introduce the Fugitive Slave Act.
Charles Pinckney was one of the youngest delegates and considered himself quite influential. He claimed to have proposed a draft known as the Pinckney Plan, which he said became the basis of the final Constitution.
John Rutledge was sent to the Continental Congress in 1774, where he maintained a relatively moderate stance of increased self-governance for the colonies without total separation from Britain.
