Transcript Jefferson and Pinckney as Founding Fathers

Two Founding Fathers
Charles Pinckney
Who Was He?
•Representative in the SC General Assembly
•Fought in the American Revolution
•Delegate to the Constitutional Convention
•Founding Father
•Main author of the Constitution (31 ideas were his)
•Governor of SC four times
•Served as Ambassador to Spain under Jefferson
Details of Pinckney’s Life:
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Born in 1757
Active lawyer in Charleston from 1779-1780
Lieutenant in the Continental Army 1780
Prisoner of War of the British until 1781
Delegate from South Carolina at Second
Continental Congress from 1775 to 1776
• Senator and Representative from SC
• Died in 1824
What Did He Do?
• Author of the Pinckney Draft 1787 which was the basis for
the Constitution of the United States.
• As a leader in SC, he helped write a constitution for the
state including a law for religious freedom.
• Became a supporter of Thomas Jefferson and supported
Jefferson for President. This made his family angry
because Jefferson ran against Charles Pinckney’s cousin
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.
• Moved the capital from Charleston to Columbia so the
common man could have the same access as the gentry.
• Helped with the Louisiana Purchase for the United States
• Ambassador to Spain under Thomas Jefferson.
What Were His Views?
• Government should have 3 parts: President,
Congress and the Supreme Court.
• President should only serve 2 terms
• Favored individual religious freedom and
protection from government authorities.
• Favored states' rights and a limited federal
government
• The Federal Government should coin the
money, establish the Post Office and the
army and the navy.
What He thought about Slavery:
• He believed that every state should
be able to write their own laws
about slavery. (States Rights)
• He depended on his own slaves to
support his households and
plantations.
Thomas Jefferson
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Who Was He?
3rd president of the United States
Vice president under John Adams
A Founding Father
Main author of the Declaration of
Independence
• Governor of Virginia
• Co-founder and leader of the DemocraticRepublican Party, which dominated American
politics for 25 years
Details of Jefferson’s Life:
• Born in 1743
• Active lawyer in Virginia from 1768 to 1773.
• Delegate from Virginia at Second Continental
Congress from 1775 to 1776
• United States Secretary of State under
George Washington from 1790 to 1793
• President of the United States from 1801 to
1809
• Died in 1826
What Did He Do?
• Author of the Declaration of Independence (1776)
• Author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
(1779, 1786)
• As president he negotiated the Louisiana Purchase (1803),
and sent the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806) to
explore the vast new territory and lands further west.
• Created the Jeffersonian Democracy, a political idea
supporting a national government, but with greatly
restricted powers. He advocated for a strict interpretation
of the U.S. Constitution so the national government
couldn’t get too powerful. He wanted the states to be
able to decide for their own people, not the federal
government in Washington.
What Were His Views?
• Idealized Republican Virtues- all men have
rights to the pursuit of happiness
• Saw America as an “Empire of Liberty” to
spread freedom throughout the world
• Favored individual religious freedom and
protection from government authorities.
• Favored states' rights and a limited federal
government
• Supported the separation of church and
state
What He thought about Slavery:
• Opposed slavery…
• However, he depended on his own
slaves to support his households and
plantations
• Opposition to slavery was still known
in the Declaration of Independence
• Leader in the abolition of the slave
trade
• Lack of action, though, to end slavery
after he finished his term
PINCKNEY
JEFFERSON
Lawyer in South Carolina
Lawyer in Virginia
Delegate from SC to the Second
Continental Congress.
Delegate to the Second Continental
Congress.
Wrote a large part of the Constitution.
Signed the Constitution.
Wrote the Declaration of Independence.
Signed the Declaration of Independence.
Helped to write the Constitution of SC
which included Religious Freedom.
Wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious
Freedom.
Helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase.
Negotiated the Louisiana Purchase.
Governor of SC – 4 times
Governor of Virginia
Served in the House of Representatives and President of the United States
the Senate
PINCKNEY
JEFFERSON
Fought in the American
Revolution and was a prisoner
of war.
Fought in the American
Revolution
Had slaves. Opposed to
slavery
Had slaves. Opposed Slavery
Limited Federal Government
Limited Federal Government
Founding Father
Founding Father
Democratic/Republican Party
Democratic/ Republican Party
Ambassador to Spain under
Jefferson
Secretary of State under
George Washington.
Believed in State’s Rights
Believed in State’s Rights