The Virginia Declaration of Rights
By George Mason

The Virginia Declaration of Rights is the forerunner of the Bill of Rights in the United States and declarations of rights throughout the world. The Declaration of Rights was written by George Mason giving him the title of the "Father of the Bill of Rights".

The Virginia Declaration of Rights was relied upon by Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. The immortal lines:

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"

comes from the Virginia Declaration of Rights statement that :

"all men are born equally free and independant [sic], and have certain inherent natural rights,...among which are the Enjoyment of Life and Liberty, with the Means of acquiring and possessing Property, and pursueing [sic] and obtaining Happiness and Safety."

The Virginia Declaration of Rights has influenced governments throughout the world both directly (such as the France's Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen) and indirectly through the Bill of Rights.

The Virginia Declaration of Rights isn't the first statement of rights. It was based partly on the English Bill of Rights. However, its clarity in thought and purpose has influenced other statements of rights like no other except perhaps the Bill of Rights that forms the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution.

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The Virginia Declaration of Rights (789KB / 6min 29 sec.)