George Mason
American Patriot and diplomat
Years: 1725 - 1792
George Mason IV (December 11, 1725 – October 7, 1792) is 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 Bill of Rights."
For these reasons, he is considered one of the "Founding Fathers" of the United States.
Like anti-federalist Patrick Henry, Mason is a leader of those who press for the addition of explicit States rights and individual rights to the U.S. Constitution as a balance to the increased federal powers, and does not sign the document in part because it lacks such a statement.
His efforts eventually succeed in convincing the Federalists to add the first ten amendments of the Constitution.
These amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, are based on the earlier Virginia Declaration of Rights, which Mason had drafted in 1776.
On the nagging issue of slavery, Mason walks a fine line.
Although a slaveholder himself, he finds slavery repugnant for a variety of reasons.
He wants to ban further importation of enslaved Africans and prevent slavery from spreading to more states.
However, he doesnot want the new federal government to attempt to ban slavery where it already exists, because he anticipats that such an act would be difficult and controversial.
