George Mason in The American Revolution

George Mason in The American Revolution

George Mason (1725–1792), a Virginian, was one of the most important delegates to the Constitutional Convention, one of the richest men in his state, and one of the most prominent Founding Fathers.

In 1759, Mason was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses and became one of the earliest opponents of British colonial policy. In 1776, he drafted the Declaration of Rights for the Virginia Constitutional Convention, and it became the model for Thomas Jefferson's opening portion of the Declaration of Independence

He became one of the most respected Anti-Federalists, and with Patrick Henry, he led the fight in Virginia against ratification of the Constitution. He pushed for a bill of rights as a necessary precaution, and this provided the basis for some of the first ten amendments (the Bill of Rights) to the Constitution.