George Mason and the Legacy of Constitutional Liberty:
An Examination of Influence of George Mason on the American Bill of Rights
 
Editor: Donald J. Senese
Publisher: Fairfax County History Commission (1989)
 
George Mason IV (December 11, 1725 – October 7, 1792) was an American patriot, statesman and a delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention. Along with James Madison, he is called the "Father of the United States Bill of Rights“. For these reasons he is considered one of the “Founding Fathers” of the United States. Like anti-federalist Patrick Henry, Mason was a leader of those who pressed for the addition of explicit States rights and individual rights to the U.S. Constitution as a balance to the increased federal powers, and did not sign the document in part because it lacked such a statement. His efforts eventually succeeded in convincing the Federalists to add the first ten amendments of the Constitution. These amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were based on the earlier Virginia Declaration of Rights, which Mason had drafted in 1776.
 
The essays in George Mason and the Legacy of Constitutional Liberty collectively call for a re-evaluation of one of Virginia's most interesting Revolutionary-era leaders.  Sponsored by the Fairfax County History Commission for the bicentennial celebration, this volume spotlights the feature of constitutional government upon which the antifederalist Mason had the most demonstrable and enduring influence: the American Bill of Rights.
 
Editor Senese has gathered a number of essays, written by a disparate group of university professors, educators, and nonacademic historians, four of which have previously appeared in print.  He arranges them into three sections covering Mason's career:  "The Early Years," "The Constitution Years," and "The Lasting Influence."  The appendices reproduce key documents historically associated with the protection of individual rights.  They include the Virginia Declaration of Rights, Mason's Objections to this Constitution of Government, the federal Bill of Rights, France's "Declarations of the Rights of Man and the Citizen," and the United Nations' "Universal Declaration of Human Rights." 
 
Product details:
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fairfax County History Commission; First Edition (January 1, 1989)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0962390518
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0962390517
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.6 ounces
 
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