The Virginia Declaration of Rights is a declaration by the Virginia Convention of Delegates of rights of individuals and a call for independence from Britain. Its first draft was developed by George Mason around May 20 to 26, 1776, and amended by Thomas Ludwell and the Convention. Its final version was adopted unanimously on June 12, 1776. An etching of George Mason George Mason (December 11, 1725 - October 7, 1792) was a United States patriot, statesman, and delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... This article is about the year 1776. ... June 12 is the 163rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (164th in leap years), with 202 days remaining. ...

The Declaration stated 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 full text is available at Wikisource.

Mason based his document on earlier documents, such as the English Bill of Rights. In turn, the Declaration heavily influenced later documents. Thomas Jefferson drew on it when he drafted the Declaration of Independence one month later. James Madison was also influenced by the Declaration while drafting the Bill of Rights, as was the Marquis de Lafayette in composing the French Revolution's Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The Bill of Rights 1689 is an English Act of Parliament with the long title An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown and known colloquially in the UK as the Bill of Rights. ... Order: Third President Vice President: Aaron Burr; George Clinton Term of office: March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1809 Preceded by: John Adams Succeeded by: James Madison Date of birth: April 13, 1743 Place of birth: Shadwell, Virginia Date of death: July 4, 1826 Place of death: Charlottesville, Virginia First Lady... U.S. Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence is a document in which the Thirteen Colonies declared themselves independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain and explained their justifications for doing so. ... Order: 4th President Vice President: George Clinton; Elbridge Gerry Term of office: March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1817 Preceded by: Thomas Jefferson Succeeded by: James Monroe Date of birth: March 16, 1751 Place of birth: Port Conway, Virginia Date of death: June 28, 1836 Place of death: Montpelier, Virginia First... United States Bill of Rights - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Marie-Joseph-Paul-Roch-Yves-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette (September 6, 1757–May 20, 1834), was a French aristocrat most famous for his participation in the American Revolutionary War and early French Revolution. ... The period of the French Revolution in the history of France covers the years between 1789 and 1799, in which democrats and republicans overthrew the absolute monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church was forced to undergo radical restructuring. ... Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, (French: La Déclaration des Droits de lHomme et du citoyen), is one of the fundamental documents of the French Revolution, defining a set of individual rights (and collective...

External links

• Virginia Declaration of Rights (http://www.gunstonhall.org/documents/vdr.html)