Charles Pinckney

Charles Pinckney. His contributions to the United States Constitution. , The Constitutional Convention convened in May 1787 to address the ineffective and weakening Articles of Confederation. While Charles Pinckney was one of the youngest delegates in attendance, he made huge contributions to the content of the United States Constitution. There were two drafts, or plans, that were submitted at the Convention – The Virginia Plan and The Pinckney Draught. The list below includes his major contributions that were put into effect., . The legislature shall consist of a House and a Senate , . Only the House shall have the power of impeachment , . The Legislative shall have the power to establish Post Offices , . The Legislature shall have the power to call out the militia , . The Legislature shall have the power to raise an army and a navy , . A single chief executive called the President shall be established , . The President shall inform the Legislature of the conditions of the nation (State of the Union) , . The President shall serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the Navy , . The President shall have the power to convene the Legislature under extraordinary conditions , . The Judicial department would settle matters between states and the Federal government , . No state shall keep troops or warships during peace time , . No state shall coin money , . No state can enter into a treaty , . No state may establish tariffs , . Interstate and foreign commerce shall be regulated only by Congress , . A Citizen Bill of Rights, “On the opening day of the Convention, Pinckney was one of the three delegates appointed ‘to prepare standing rules and orders’ for the Convention. He was an active participant in the proceedings and is considered by historians and political scientists to have been one of the more influential delegates. On the third day of the Convention, he submitted what came to be known as “The Pinckney Draft” which was similar to the “Virginia Plan” submitted by Edmund Randolph. Pinckney’s plan called for a strong central government consisting of three ‘separate and distinct’ branches. Over thirty of his provisions were included in the final document including one of the most significant that ‘no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.’ In total, he spoke more than one hundred times during the debates in Philadelphia. One of his most important moments came on June 25th when he a forcible case for the unique quality of America and the importance of seeing original solutions for the new United States government.” , Dr. Walter Edgar, Claude Henry Neuffer Professor of Southern Studies, Director, Institute for Southern Studies, Director, Graduate Studies, Dept. of History, University of South Carolina