George Mason
George Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776 and refused to sign the Constitution in 1787, making him a central voice in the struggle over liberties and ratification.
Born December 11, 1725 / Died October 7, 1792
On December 11, 1725, in Fairfax County, Colony of Virginia, George Mason was born into the planter society of the Potomac. He managed the Gunston Hall estate and developed a reputation in county affairs before moving into colonywide politics. The crisis with Britain drew him into the Virginia Convention and the writing of revolutionary state principles.
In 1776 Mason drafted the Virginia Declaration of Rights, a foundational statement of liberty and limited government that Virginia adopted before independence. He also helped frame Virginia's constitution and then represented the state at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Mason refused to sign the federal Constitution because it lacked a bill of rights and because he feared unchecked national power.
Mason's objections became central evidence for ratification critics and helped drive the adoption of the Bill of Rights in 1791. The language of the Virginia Declaration of Rights also echoed in later state constitutions and in broader American arguments about civil liberties.
Key Contributions
- Authored the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights, which became a model for later American state bills of rights and influenced the federal Bill of Rights.
- Refused to sign the United States Constitution at the 1787 Convention because it lacked a bill of rights, becoming a leading Anti-Federalist whose objections shaped the case for the first ten amendments.
Related Events
Virginia ratifies
On June 25, 1788, the Richmond convention ratified the Constitution by 89 to 79 after James Madison and John Marshall overcame Patrick Henry and George Mason.
State ratification debates
The United States Constitution has served as the supreme law of the United States since taking effect in 1789.
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From May to September 1787, delegates in Philadelphia abandoned revision of the Articles of Confederation and drafted a new Constitution under George Washington's presidency.
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