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ETV Presents the Story of Charles Pinckney
in the Upcoming "Carolina Stories" Documentary "Forgotten Founder"
on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m.

Premiere to Take Place on Constitution Day, Friday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m.
at the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site

For Immediate Release
September 3, 2010

Columbia, SC… Few men have been as deeply involved in the events that shaped not only the history of the Palmetto State, but also America, as Charles Pinckney. As a South Carolinian, he served in the General Assembly, was a four-time Governor, and an ancestor of seven future governors. On the national level, he was a patriot in the Revolutionary War, a member of the Continental Congress, a South Carolina Senator and Representative, an ambassador to Spain, and a signer of the Constitution.

Yet, for all his efforts, he has been largely overlooked and relegated to a footnote in many history books.

On Thursday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m., ETV's "Carolina Stories" documentary series presents "Forgotten Founder" (please see below for additional air dates). Produced and directed by Sanford Adams, the hour-long program examines the many contributions Pinckney made to what would become the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In fact, many historians now believe that the members of the Constitutional Convention borrowed many of the ideas and even language proposed in his "Pinckney Draught" to create both of these groundbreaking documents.

If this was indeed the case, why is a man of his stature not mentioned in the same breath as some of his contemporaries, including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and John Quincy Adams?

Could it be that he has been dismissed from the pages of history for something as petty as personal politics? Was he really as vain and brash as he was made out to be, trying to claim much more credit for his role at the Constitutional Convention than was true? As Richard B. Bernstein, author of The Founding Fathers Reconsidered, states in the documentary, "You'll have to ask James Madison."

Madison, who is considered to be the "Father of the Constitution," and whose detailed notes of the day-to-day proceedings of the Convention were the best studied, did not hold a favorable opinion of Pinckney. Not surprisingly, little is said of Pinckney, or his "Pinckney Draught" in Madison's notes, and many have speculated that it was because of Madison's actions that Pinckney has been largely forgotten. In fact, over a century would pass before details about the "Pinckney Draught" would be re-discovered, as two historians poured through the notes of another Convention delegate, James Wilson.

With striking original illustrations by South Carolina artist James H. Palmer, Jr., interviews with noted scholars and historians, and in many cases Pinckney's own words, "Forgotten Founder" examines Pinckney's life and accomplishments. The role he played in the birth and early years of this nation still reverberates today, and has had a profound effect on our country's course of history.

"Forgotten Founder" was funded in part by the Friends of Historic Snee Farm and the Humanities Council SC.

Sneak Previews:

The first sneak preview of the program will take place on Constitution Day, Friday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. The screening is free and open to the public and will be held at the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, located at at 1254 Long Point Road in Mount Pleasant. The park preserves the last 28 acres of Snee Farm, a plantation that was once owned by Charles Pinckney.

Dr. Walter Edgar, host of ETV Radio's "Walter Edgar's Journal" (heard every Friday at noon) will introduce the documentary and ETV producer Sanford Adams will answer questions at the conclusion.

For more information about the Constitution Week events happening at the National Historic Site, visit http://www.nps.gov/chpi/.

A second sneak preview will be held in Columbia on Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Columbia College's Breed Leadership Center in Rooms 201/202. Following the documentary, Adams will once again take questions from the audience. For more information, contact Jackie Adams at (803) 786-3899. Columbia College is located at 1301 Columbia College Drive.

Additional Air Dates for "Forgotten Founder":

• ETV-HD:
  Sunday, Sept. 26 at 4 p.m.

• On the South Carolina Channel:
  Monday, Sept. 27 at 9 p.m.

Related Programming and Content:

• Thursday, Sept. 16 at noon –"Your Day," a co-production of Clemson University and ETV Radio, will feature an interview with artist James H. Palmer, Jr., whose original illustrations fill the documentary, and producer Sanford Adams.

• Thursday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. – "The Big Picture," ETV's weekly news and public affairs program, shows highlights from the U.S. Naturalization Ceremony where up to 150 people will be sworn in as citizens. The ceremony will be held at the Charles Pinckney Historic Site on Constitution Day, Sept. 17, at 10:30 a.m.

• An educational website has been created to accompany this program, which features a trailer for the program, an overview of Pinckney's contemporaries, a timeline of Pinckney's life, and additional resources for teachers and students. The site can be found by going to http://bit.ly/Pinckney.

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.

Illustration of Charles Pinckney. Credit: James H. Palmer, Jr.

Illustration of Charles Pinckney. Credit: James H. Palmer, Jr.

Illustrated depiction of Pinckney signing the Constitution. Credit: James H. Palmer, Jr.