Ratification by the States | Volume XXVII: South Carolina | Documents
I. The Debate over the Constitution in South Carolina, 29 September 1787–11 January 1788IntroductionCharles Cotesworth Pinckney to Sir Matthew White Ridley, New York, 29 September 1787 (excerpt)Editors’ Note: The Publication of the Constitution in South Carolina 2 October 1787–26 May 1788Eliza Lucas Pinckney to Daniel Huger Horry, 2 October 1787Letter from Charleston, 6 October 1787 (excerpt)Pierce Butler to Weeden Butler, New York, 8 October 1787 (excerpt)Henry Laurens, Sr., to Edward Bridgen, Mepkin Plantation, 8 October 1787 (excerpt)A Federal Centinel, South Carolina Weekly Chronicle, 9 October 1787A Drayman, South Carolina Weekly Chronicle, 9 October 1787Henry Laurens, Sr., to William Bell, Mepkin Plantation, 11 October 1787 (excerpt)Letter from Charleston, 13 October 1787Charles Pinckney: Observations on the Plan of Government Submitted to the Federal Convention, New York, Pre-14 October 1787Charleston Morning Post or South Carolina Weekly Chronicle, 23 October 1787 (excerpt)Jean Pierre Le Mayeur to George Washington, Charleston, 24 October 1787 (excerpt)Francis Kinloch to Johannes von Müller, Charleston, 26 October 1787 (excerpt)Christopher Gadsden to Thomas Jefferson, Charleston, 29 October 1787 (excerpts)Governor Thomas Pinckney: Circular Letter to Legislators, Charleston, 31 October 1787Editors’ Note: The South Carolina Reprinting of James Wilson’s State House Speech, 1 November 1787Edward Rutledge to Samuel Myers, Charleston, 8 November 1787Thomas Lowndes to Robert Goodloe Harper, Charleston, 10 November 1787 (excerpt)David Ramsay to Benjamin Rush, Charleston, 10 November 1787David Ramsay to Noah Webster, Charleston, 10 November 1787Margaret Izard Manigault to Gabriel Manigault, Charleston, 12 November 1787 (excerpt)Jean-Baptiste Petry to le Maréchal de Castries, Charleston, 16 November 1787 (excerpt)Thomas Tudor Tucker to St. George Tucker, Philadelphia, 21 November 1787 (excerpts)Editors’ Note: The Circulation of The Federalist in South Carolina 22 November 1787–20 June 1788John Kean to Susan Livingston Kean, Charleston, 25 November 1787 (excerpt)Cato, State Gazette of South Carolina, 26 November 1787Philadelphia Independent Gazetteer, 27 November 1787Henry Laurens, Sr., to William Bell, Mepkin Plantation, 29 November 1787 (excerpt)Letters from Charleston, 3, 4 December 1787Charleston Columbian Herald, 3 December 1787Mæcenas, State Gazette of South Carolina, 6 December 1787Cato, State Gazette of South Carolina, 10 December 1787Drousea, State Gazette of South Carolina, 10 December 1787Philadelphia Independent Gazetteer, 14 December 1787Pierce Butler to Simpson and Davison, 26 December 1787 (excerpt)Jean-Baptiste Petry to Comte de Montmorin, Charleston, 26 December 1787 (excerpt)Editors’ Note: The South Carolina Reprinting of George Mason’s Objections to the Constitution, 27 December 1787–7 January 1788John Kean to Susan Livingston Kean, Beaufort, 3 January 1788 (excerpt)Caroliniensis, Charleston City Gazette, 3 January 1788Philo-Centinel, Charleston City Gazette, 5 January 1788Charleston Columbian Herald, 10 January 1788Caroliniensis, Charleston City Gazette, 11 January 1788 II. The South Carolina General Assembly Calls a State Convention, 8 January–29 February 1788IntroductionThe South Carolina General Assembly, Tuesday, 8 January 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Thursday, 10 January 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Friday, 11 January 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Monday, 14 January 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Tuesday, 15 January 1788South Carolina House of Representatives Debates the Constitution, 16–18 January 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Wednesday, 16 January 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Thursday, 17 January 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Friday, 18 January 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Saturday, 19 January 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Thursday, 24 January 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Saturday, 2 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Monday, 4 February 1788State House Fire and Meeting Places of the General Assembly, 5–11 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Thursday, 7 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Friday, 8 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Saturday, 9 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Monday, 11 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Tuesday, 12 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Wednesday, 13 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Saturday, 16 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Monday, 18 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Wednesday, 20 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Wednesday, 27 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Thursday, 28 February 1788The South Carolina General Assembly, Friday, 29 February 1788Commentaries on Calling the State Convention, 16 January–27 February 1788Penuel Bowen to Joseph Ward, Charleston, 16 January 1788Charleston Columbian Herald, 21 January 1788Letter from Charleston, 24 January 1788David Ramsay to Benjamin Lincoln, Charleston, 29 January 1788 (excerpt)Jean-Baptiste Petry to Comte de Montmorin, Charleston, 30 January 1788 (excerpt)Newport Herald, 21 February 1788Massachusetts Centinel, 23 February 1788Pennsylvania Gazette, 27 February 1788 III. The Debate over the Constitution in South Carolina, 19 January–2 June 1788IntroductionDavid Ramsay to John Eliot, Charleston, 19 January 1788 (excerpt)John Kean to Susan Livingston Kean, Beaufort, 20 January 1788 (excerpt)Letter from Charleston to a Friend in Newburyport, Mass., 20 January 1788Editors’ Note: The South Carolina Reprinting of the Dissent of the Minority of the Pennsylvania Convention, 21 January–4 February 1788Letter from Charleston, 22 January 1788Hary Grant to Christopher Champlin, Charleston, 23 January 1788 (excerpt)State Gazette of South Carolina, 28 January 1788Letter from South Carolina to a Friend in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 30 January 1788 (excerpt)Justice Richard Champion: Charge to the Lancaster County Grand Jury, January 1788 (excerpt)Civis: To the Citizens of South Carolina, Charleston Columbian Herald, 4 February 1788Charleston City Gazette, 8 February 1788Letter from Charleston to a Friend in Philadelphia, 9 February 1788John Kean to Susan Livingston Kean, Beaufort, 10 February 1788Henry W. DeSaussure to Jedidiah Morse, Charleston, 11 February 1788 (excerpts)Adam Gilchrist to Collin McGregor, Charleston, 11 February 1788 (excerpt)Charleston City Gazette, 11 February 1788Charleston Columbian Herald, 14 February 1788Pierce Butler to Thomas FitzSimons, Charleston, 15 February 1788 (excerpts)Jean-Baptiste Petry to Comte de Montmorin, Charleston, 15 February 1788 (excerpt)David Ramsay to Benjamin Rush, Charleston, 17 February 1788 (excerpt)Pierce Butler to Elbridge Gerry, Mary-Ville Plantation, 3 March 1788 (excerpts)Flaccinaucinehilipilification, Charleston Columbian Herald, 3 March 1788Massachusetts Salem Mercury, 4 March 1788John Kean to Susan Livingston Kean, Beaufort, 8 March 1788 (excerpt)Charleston City Gazette, 12 March 1788Pennsylvania Gazette, 19 March 1788Charleston City Gazette, 22 March 1788David Ramsay to Benjamin Lincoln, Charleston, 31 March 1788Caroliniensis, Charleston City Gazette, 1, 2 April 1788Henry W. DeSaussure to Jedidiah Morse, Charleston, 2 April 1788 (excerpt)Editors’ Note: The Sale of Thomas Lloyd’s Debates of the Pennsylvania Convention As Advertised in the Charleston Columbian Herald: 3 April–12 June 1788Charleston City Gazette, 4 April 1788George Nicholas to James Madison, Charlottesville, Va., 5 April 1788 (excerpt)James Madison to George Nicholas, Orange County, Va., 8 April 1788 (excerpt)John Kean and Beaufort Grand Jury on the Constitution, 8 April 1788Arthur Bryan to George Bryan, Charleston, 9 April 1788Letter from Charleston, 9 April 1788Editors’ Note: The South Carolina Reprinting of Luther Martin’s Genuine Information: 10 April–22 May 1788Letter from Charleston to a Friend in Baltimore, 10 April 1788John Kean to Susan Livingston Kean, Beaufort, 11 April 1788 (excerpt)Charleston City Gazette, 11 April 1788Benjamin Rush to David Ramsay, Charleston Columbian Herald, 14 April 1788Charleston City Gazette, 15 April 1788David Ramsay to Benjamin Rush, Charleston, 21 April 1788John Kean to Susan Livingston Kean, Beaufort, 29 April 1788 (excerpt)Letter from Charleston, 1 May 1788A Dialogue between King Leo and His Servants, Charleston Columbian Herald, 1, 5 May 1788Pierce Butler to Weeden Butler, Mary-Ville Plantation, 5 May 1788 (excerpt)From Edward Rutledge, 5 May 1788 (excerpt)Charleston Columbian Herald, 5 May 1788A Steady and Open Republican, State Gazette of South Carolina, 5 May 1788Charleston City Gazette, 7 May 1788Charleston City Gazette, 7 May 1788John Kean to Susan Livingston Kean, Beaufort, 8 May 1788 (excerpt)A Back Wood’s Man, Charleston Columbian Herald, 8 May 1788State Gazette of South Carolina, 8 May 1788William Spotswood to Mathew Carey, Charleston, 10 May 1788 (excerpt)Charleston Columbian Herald, 15 May 1788State Gazette of South Carolina, 15 May 1788A Federalist, Charleston City Gazette, 16 May 1788South Carolina Receives News of Maryland Ratification, Charleston City Gazette, 16 May 1788Editors’ Note: John Lamb to Aedanus Burke, Rawlins Lowndes, and Thomas Sumter, New York, 19 May 1788Pierce Butler to Simpson and Davison, 21 May 1788 (excerpt)South Carolina Delegates in the Confederation Congress to Governor Thomas Pinckney, New York, 22 May 1788 (excerpt)Boston American Herald, 2 June 1788 IV. Election of Convention Delegates, 17 March–10 May 1788IntroductionElection Notice: Parish of St. George, 17 March 1788Alexander Gillon to Richard Hampton, Ashley Hill Plantation, 19 March 1788 (excerpt)Election Notice: Parishes of St. Philip and St. Michael, 3 April 1788A Taxable Citizen, Charleston City Gazette, 10 April 1788Election Certificate: Ninety Six District—North of the Saluda Greenville County, 12 April 1788John Kean to Susan Livingston Kean, Berkshire Plantation, 14, 18 April 1788 (excerpts)Election Returns: Parishes of St. Philip and St. Michael, Charleston Columbian Herald, 17 April 1788Pennsylvania Gazette, 23 April 1788Letter from Charleston, 25 April 1788Election Notice: Parishes of St. Philip and St. Michael, 1 May 1788Georgia State Gazette, 10 May 1788 V. The South Carolina Convention, 12–24 May 1788IntroductionDelegates to the South Carolina ConventionThe South Carolina Convention, Monday 12 May 1788The South Carolina Convention, Tuesday 13 May 1788The South Carolina Convention, Wednesday 14 May 1788The South Carolina Convention, Thursday 15 May 1788The South Carolina Convention, Friday 16 May 1788The South Carolina Convention, Saturday 17 May 1788The South Carolina Convention, Monday 19 May 1788The South Carolina Convention, Tuesday 20 May 1788The South Carolina Convention, Wednesday 21 May 1788The South Carolina Convention, Thursday 22 May 1788The South Carolina Convention, Friday 23 May 1788The South Carolina Convention, Saturday 24 May 1788Commentaries on the South Carolina ConventionJohn Kean: Notes on the New Constitution, c. May 1788A Taxable Citizen: Scene in a Piazza, Charleston City Gazette, 14, 19, 22, 23 May 1788A Spectator, Charleston Columbian Herald, 22 May 1788A Georgia Backwoodman, Charleston City Gazette, 24 May 1788 VI. The Aftermath of Ratification in South Carolina, 23 May–27 November 1788IntroductionVI–A. Celebrations of South Carolina Ratification, 27 May–4 July 1788VI–B. Public and Private Commentaries on the Constitution, 23 May–27 November 1788South Carolina: The Eighth Pillar Under the Federal Dome, 23 May 1788Letter from Charleston to a Friend in Boston, 23 May 1788William Mason to William Bentley, Charleston, 23–24 May 1788 (excerpts)Lewis Morris, Jr., to Staats Morris, Charleston, 24 May 1788 (excerpt)Jean-Baptiste Petry to Comte de la Luzerne, Charleston 24 May 1788Charles Cotesworth Pinckney to Rufus King, Charleston, 24 May 1788 (excerpts)Charles Cotesworth Pinckney to George Washington, Charleston, 24 May 1788 (excerpts)From Joseph Clay Savannah, Post-24 May 1788 (excerpt)Francis Kinloch to Thomas Boone, Charleston, 26 May 1788 (excerpt)South Carolina Form of Ratification Broadside, 26 May 1788John Kean to Susan Livingston Kean, Charleston, 27 May 1788 (excerpt)Letter from Charleston to a Friend in New York City, 27 May 1788Comte de Moustier to Comte de Montmorin, New York, 29 May 1788 (excerpt)Nicholas Gilman to Jeremiah Wadsworth, New York, 29 May 1788Edward Carrington to James Madison, New York, 30 May 1788Maryland Receives News of South Carolina’s Ratification, 31 May 1788Maryland Journal, 3 June 1788Baltimore Maryland Gazette, 3 June 1788Archibald Maclaine to James Iredell, Sr., Wilmington, N.C., 4 June 1788John Vaughan to Benjamin Vaughan, Philadelphia, 4 June 1788 (excerpt)Comte de Moustier to Comte de Montmorin, New York, 5 June 1788 (excerpt)James Bryson to John Langdon, Philadelphia, 6 June 1788 (excerpt)John Vaughan to John Langdon, Philadelphia, 6 June 1788 (excerpt)Gaspard Joseph Amand Ducher to Comte de la Luzerne, Wilmington, N.C., 6 June 1788 (excerpts)George Miller to Marquis of Carmarthen, Charleston, 6 June 1788 (excerpt)Nathan Dane to Moses Brown, New York, 7 June 1788 (excerpt)Antoine de la Forest to Comte de la Luzerne, New York, 9 June 1788 (excerpt)St. John de Crevecoeur to William Short, New York, 10 June 1788 (excerpt)Massachusetts Centinel, 11 June 1788Thomas Tudor Tucker to St. George Tucker, New York, 13 June 1788 (excerpt)Charles Pinckney to Rufus King, Charleston, 16 June 1788 (excerpt)David Ramsay to John Kean, Charleston, 20 June 1788David Ramsay to Benjamin Lincoln, Charleston, 20 June 1788 (excerpt)Edward Rutledge to John Jay, Charleston, 20 June 1788Edward Rutledge to John Langdon, Charleston, 20 June 1788Letter from Charleston, 20 June 1788John Parker and Thomas Tudor Tucker to Governor Thomas Pinckney, New York, 21 June 1788 (excerpt)Charles Cotesworth Pinckney to Rufus King, Charleston, 21 June 1788 (excerpt)Rawlins Lowndes to John Lamb, Charleston, 21 June 1788Aedanus Burke to John Lamb, Charleston, 23 June 1788Charleston City Gazette, 26 June 1788Francis Cummins to Samuel Wilson, Bethel, S.C., July 1788 (excerpt)New York Daily Advertiser, 1 July 1788William Spotswood to Mathew Carey, Charleston, 5 July 1788 (excerpts)John Wilson to Samuel Wilson, Crowder Creek, N.C., 10 July 1788 (excerpt)Penuel Bowen to Joseph Ward, John’s Island, near Charleston, 14 July 1788 (excerpt)Joshua Johnson to Wallace & Muir, London, England, 7 August 1788 (excerpt)Baron de Beelen-Bertholff to Count Trauttmansdorff, Philadelphia, 28 September 1788 (excerpt)Senex, State Gazette of South Carolina, 27 November 1788 (excerpt) VI–C. The South Carolina Legislature and the State Convention, 9 October–4 November 1788 