South Carolinians played a role in the writing of the Constitution in 1787. The Philadelphia Convention was called to solve the problems of the government under the Articles of Confederation. Delegates from South Carolina took positions on all of the subjects that were debated. On the issue of amending the Articles or writing a new constitution, South Carolinians supported the establishment of a stronger national government in a new constitution. They supported the creation of a three branch government with a legislative, judiciary, and executive branch [Virginia Plan].Regarding the issue of how representation was to be allocated in the new legislature, they supported the plan that based representation on population supported by large states [Virginia Plan] rather than the plan that called for equal representation of the states that was supported by the smaller states [New Jersey Plan]. This would give South Carolina and other populous states more voice in the new government. However, South Carolina supported the Great Compromise [Connecticut Compromise] that provided for equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives.
Political tensions between the Lowcountry and the Upcountry (8-3.1) played a prominent role in the ratification of the Constitution. The South Carolina ratifying convention was held in Charleston despite the fact that the state capital had already been moved to Columbia. Not only did the Lowcountry elite have more representation, just as they did in the state legislature, but it also was easier for even non-delegates to influence the proceedings that were held in their city. The Upcountry men lived too far away to have a voice. The backcountry opponents of the new constitution in several states were called the anti-Federalists because they opposed a stronger federal government.
They feared that the elite would have too much power in such a government and abuse the rights of the individual. They also feared that the national government would be located far away from the people who had enough trouble influencing their own state government. Charles Pinckney and other members of the elite, who called themselves Federalists, argued for a strong government that could be influential in foreign affairs and establish better trade relations that would restore economic stability. The anti-Federalists were outvoted and South Carolina ratified the Constitution, thus making it the eighth state to join the United States of America. Opposition to ratification by anti-Federalists in several states, prompted the Federalists to promise to add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution. This was done by the First Congress.