George Mason IV: The Virginia Declaration Of Rights

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George Mason IV was born on December 11, 1725 in Fairfax county Virginia. Mason was named after his great grandfather. Since there were no public schools, his mother hired a tutor to teach him until he was 12 years old. He then was sent to a public school in Maryland. His family’s minister helped out with his education by ordering books from Great Britain. When Mason turned 21 he took responsibility of 20,000 acres that he inherited when he was nine from his father. When Mason and his wife started to have children he decided to build a house on the Potomac River named Gunston Hall after his ancestors who lived in Great Britain. Mason and his wife, Ann Eilbeck, had 12 children but only ten lived. Mason was devastated when his wife …show more content…
Mason wrote this inspired by the Enlightenment philosopher John Locke as well as others. Mason complained about the “useless members” of the committee. Their lack of commitment pushed him to be one of the main authors of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Mason’s ideas and writings were soon adopted by Thomas Jefferson for the Declaration of …show more content…
He distressed over the amount of power being given to the federal government. He wanted to limit the federal government and ensure that each State maintained power to keep the federal government in check and manage regional laws. He believed slave trade should be abolished and encouraged others to agree. This was a difficult and controversial subject as some state economies, including his own beloved Virginia, relied on the slave labor. Mason was an activist for the rights of the individual. He spent many hours arguing for individual rights and freedoms. Which was one of the influences for the composure of the Bill of