Charles Pinckney was born in Charleston in 1757, where he studied law until the age of 21. After serving as a lieutenant in the Revolutionary War militia (and having fought at the Siege of Savannah), he married Mary Laurens, daughter of the notable and wealthy slave trader, Henry Laurens, and served as a representative in the Continental Congress and state legislature. During his time at the Continental Congress, he contributed greatly to the development of the Constitution through affirmation of the separation of church and state, introducing the Fugitive Slave Clause, engaging in the Three-Fifths Compromise debates, and establishing an American writ of habeas corpus. Originally a Federalist due to its favorability on the aristocratic coast of his state, he became a Democratic Republican to earn the support of backcountry voters. Using his state’s support, he assumed the governorship of South Carolina and chaired the state constitutional convention. He, like many other Southern aristocrats, was pro-slavery and fought against the Missouri Compromise, wanting to maintain the slave population in the state. He died in 1824 in Charleston.