The Mystery of the Pinckney Draught

"The Mystery of the Pinckney Draught" by Charles C. Nott is a historical exploration of Charles Pinckney's draft at the Constitutional Convention and the questions surrounding its influence on the U.S. Constitution, beginning with the historical context of Pinckney's presentation, which was seemingly ignored at the time, and later the raised controversy around the document when the original records were sealed, disappearing for decades until John Quincy Adams sought it almost thirty years later. The story reviews the key figures, like James Madison, and their part in understanding Pinckney’s work, the value of the draft, and its place in American government history.