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The Virginia Declaration of Rights, drafted by George Mason in 1776, outlined fundamental civil liberties such as the right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness, as well as freedoms of speech, religion, and press. Virginia's Declaration of Rights, framed by Mason in 1776, was widely copied in other colonies, served as a model for Jefferson in the first part of the Declaration of Independence, and was the basis for the federal Constitution's Bill of Rights. George Mason, on the other hand, refused to sign based on his principles. In early 1776, before the Declaration of Independence, Mason drafted the Virginia Declaration of Rights and framed Virginia’s constitution. George Mason was rightfully proud of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and pleased that it became a model for other states. Most people have never heard of George Mason; those who have are either students of the American Revolution or people who live in the state of Virginia—and even then the only thing they may know about him is that he refused to sign the Constitution at the end of the Convention of 1787. George Mason was an important, albeit reluctant, Founding Father. He was held in the highest esteem by many of the most important Founders and his contributions force the creation of the Bill of Rights. But he left the Constitutional Convention without signing the famous document. Three main advocates of this movement were George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and Edmund Randolph. Also, John Dickinson who is officially listed as a "signer," didn't sign the Constitution himself. When he refused to sign the new Constitution, his decision baffled some and alienated others, including his old friend, George Washington. Mason's stand nonetheless had its effect. Mason is sometimes referred to as the "Forgotten Founder," largely ignored by history books and often uncredited for originating many of the core concepts and much of the language later incorporated in both the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. The opening of Mason’s Declaration of Rights was not only influential in Jefferson’s introduction to the Declaration of Independence, but it also became the basis for the Bill of Rights: The Virginia Declaration of Rights. Holograph manuscript, May 1776. (Manuscript Division, Library of Congress) On July 4, 1776, he became the first to sign the Declaration of Independence, with a signature famously so large, that as legend has it, King George III would be able to see it without reading George Mason’s ideas helped to shape the Founding documents of the United States, but few Americans remember him today. The words he used when writing the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Constitution of 1776 inspired the nation’s Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights. Many of these state constitutions included their own Declarations of Rights. The most influential of these charters of freedom was the Virginia Declaration of Rights—authored primarily by George Mason. Adopted by the Virginia House of Delegates in June 1776, the Virginia Declaration of Rights was part of the 1776 Virginia Constitution. The Virginia Declaration of Rights Virginia's Declaration of Rights was drawn upon by Thomas Jefferson for the opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. It was widely copied by the other colonies and became the basis of the Bill of Rights. Written by George Mason, it was adopted by the Virginia Constitutional Convention on June 12, 1776. A Declaration of Rights Is made by the What document did George Mason influence? George Mason’s ideas helped to shape the Founding documents of the United States, but few Americans remember him today. The words he used when writing the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Constitution of 1776 inspired the nation’s Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights. George Mason: George Mason was a well-off Virginia planter and a leader of the patriots during the American Revolution. Mason was a major critic of a strong centralized government after the Revolution ended. He is remembered for being one of the few delegates to the Constitutional Convention who refused to sign the Constitution. Answer and Explanation: Later in life, Mason remained politically independent, refusing to sign the 1787 Constitution because he disagreed with several of the document provisions including a lack of a bill of rights. Thomas Jefferson drew heavily on George Mason 's Virginia Declaration of Rights (passed on June 12, 1776), Common Sense, state and local calls for independence, and his own work on the Virginia Constitution. Mason was an early and fervent supporter of the independence movement, and some of his ideas about individual rights influenced Thomas Jefferson ’s language in the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson paid homage to Mason by incorporating both ideas and language from the Virginia Declaration of Rights into the Declaration of Independence. And George Mason himself was a leader in the constitutional convention and subsequent ratification debates. George Mason (December 11, 1725 [O.S. November 30, 1725] – October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, where he was one of three delegates who refused to sign the Constitution.
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