Charles Pinckney was a South Carolina statesman, senator, and former governor who was also instrumental in the writing of the U.S. Constitution. He is one of the signers of that document (I think, actually, many people do not know who actually signed the Constitution, confusing it with the Declaration of Independence, a different document entirely).
They call Pinckney the "forgotten founder."
He is best known for insisting on the clause in the Constitution that says "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States," a phrase we seem to have forgotten as time has passed, at least by the populace at large. Otherwise religion wouldn't play such an important role in politics.
Pinckney's original home place, Snee Farm, is gone, but foundations of some buildings remain. A home constructed in the 19th century stands there now and serves as a museum for the National Historic Site.
We visited the
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site as one of our first stops while in Charleston. It is in the Mount Pleasant area and wasn't far from our hotel.
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| Entrance sign. |
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| Informational stop. |
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| More information about the Founding Father. |
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| Doodads from excavations of old foundations. |
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| A plate found at the old homesite |
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| House built circa 1800s that now houses the museum. |
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Somebody's tombstone; we didn't get close enough to
read what was on it. |
I agree that our nation has forgotten about his clause in the Constitution.
ReplyDeleteHey, we actually have a street on the Capitol Square named for him -- and what an excellent clause he added.
ReplyDelete