As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of Independence, I was curious as to what was happening this week in 1776.
June 12, 1776
On June 12, 1776, Virginia’s Fifth Revolutionary Convention unanimously adopted the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
George Mason drafted this document, which declared that all men are inherently free and independent and possess fundamental rights, including life, liberty, and property.
Thomas Jefferson borrowed heavily from the Virginia document when drafting the Declaration of Independence several weeks later. Mason’s Declaration of Rights also served as a template for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution.
I knew nothing of George Mason until last year, when I visited the lovely monument created in his honor (click here for A Monumentally Neglected Founding Father). As I was researching what happened this week in 1776, I was delighted to land on this day. It’s always nice to put a face to a historical document.
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