Constitution of 1778

South Carolina's new constitution expanded on the foundation laid by its predecessor. It introduced stricter requirements for the presentation and passage of bills to prevent situations like the Stamp Act from occurring again. To counteract possible abuse of office by public officials, requirements for attaining and leaving office were carefully delineated. However, the new constitution greatly reduced suffrage, limiting the vote to white Protestant men who owned fifty or more acres of taxable land. This series consists of the engrossed manuscript of Act No. 1074 (the Constitution of 1778), as well as a rough draft and a photocopy from the Library of Congress of the contemporary printing of the act.