Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth (1746–1825)

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PINCKNEY, CHARLES COTESWORTH (1746–1825)

A British-educated, slaveholding lawyer, General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney represented South Carolina at the constitutional convention of 1787 and signed the Constitution. In the convention he worked for a strong national government and for protection of the slaveholding interests. As a leading spokesman for ratification in South Carolina, he defended the compromises on slavery and argued that a bill of rights was unnecessary.

In 1791, Pinckney declined President george washington's offer of a seat on the Supreme Court. The chief leader of the southern federalists, Pinckney was nominated for Vice-President in 1800, and for President in both 1804 and 1808.

Dennis J. Mahoney
(1986)

Bibliography

Zahniser, Marvin R. 1967 Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Founding Father. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

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