Commemoration of the Virginia Declaration of Rights Authored by George Mason

On June 8th the Fort Harrison Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution participated in the Commemoration of the Virginia Declaration of Rights Authored by George Mason which were adopted on June 12, 1776 by the Virginia Constitutional Convention.

George Mason was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, where he was one of three delegates who refused to sign the Constitution. 

His writings, including substantial portions of the Fairfax Resolves of 1774, the Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776, and his Objections to this Constitution of Government (1787) opposing ratification, have exercised a significant influence on American political thought and events. The Virginia Declaration of Rights, which Mason principally authored, served as a basis for the United States Bill of Rights, of which he has been deemed a father.

The ceremony was sponsored by The George Mason Chapter Virginia Society, SAR and conducted at his ancestral home Gunston Hall in Lorton, VA. The event consisted of a Commemoration of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, a reading of the sixteen articles of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and a wreath laying ceremony at his tomb. Approximately one hundred people were in attendance. There were over thirty diverse patriotic organizations present. Ros Poplar (Fort Harrison DAR Chapter President) and Joanne Poplar (Narrow Passage 1st Vice-Regent) were among those who presented wreaths on behalf of their respective chapters. 

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