Forgotten Founder
The Life and Times of Charles Pinckney
Marty D. Matthews
Charles Pinckney (1757–1824) was born into one of South Carolina’s most prominent
families and quickly became one of the state’s most influential figures. Born in
Charleston, Pinckney grew up there and on his father’s plantations in the Carolina lowcountry. He served in the state militia during the American Revolution and was captured
at the surrender of Charleston in 1780. Later he attended the Confederation Congress in
1784. But he is best known for his representation of the Palmetto State at the
Constitutional Convention in 1787, where he presented one of the few complete drafts of
government for the new nation. The “Pinckney Draft” of the Constitution would play an
integral part in the controversy that swirled around him, giving Pinckney’s political enemies ammunition for their charges of arrogance and vanity,and perplexing historians for
nearly a century.
Within thirteen years of the convention, Pinckney forsook his heritage and broke
with his family—most of whom were staunch Federalists—to support the DemocraticRepublican Thomas Jefferson in the pivotal election of 1800. Pinckney’s efforts on
Jefferson’s behalf helped propel the Virginian into the presidency and changed the course
of American political history. As a reward, Pinckney was named minister to Spain, where
he served until 1806 before returning home and to state and to national politics. Soon
after suffering financial ruin in his personal life, Pinckney was elected to the U.S. House
of Representatives and served during the Missouri Controversy of 1820. Pinckney’s
impassioned speeches in Congress helped lay the groundwork for the states rights ideology that eventually would dominate South Carolina and her southern neighbors, leading
them to rebellion and civil war in 1861.
Pinckney’s importance has been long overshadowed by that of luminaries such as
James Madison and even by other members of the Pinckney family. In Forgotten
Founder, Marty D. Matthews addresses the reasons for such oversights and examines
Pinckney’s many important contributions to the founding of the American republic.
Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, MARTY D.
MATTHEWS received a B.A. in political science and an M.A. in history from North
Carolina State University and a Ph.D. in
American history from the University of
South Carolina. Matthews lives with his wife
in Camden, South Carolina.
FORGOTTEN FOUNDER
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