Colonial Dames remember Bill of Rights Day

By Nancy Poole

Special to The Albany Herald

ALBANY – Each year, Dec. 15 is recognized in this nation as The Bill of Rights Day.  Members of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the state of Georgia have a mission to promote preservation, patriotism and education and celebrate this day.

As Americans, we have the opportunity to remember these patriots who defined and defended the fundamental liberties that we so often take for granted.

George Mason did not write the U.S. Bill of Rights, but his Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776) served as the blueprint for the first 10 amendments for the U.S. Bill of Rights.  Mason’s landmark document was the first constitutional affirmation by a North American government that citizens have the rights of life, liberty, and property that the government cannot infringe upon.

After a wide circulation of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and writers in other colonies were heavily influenced by Mason’s document when later drafting the U.S. Bill of Rights. During the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Mason proposed that a Bill of Rights similar to the one he had written for Virginia be included.  His proposal was rejected; therefore, he was one of only three delegates who refused to sign the U.S. Constitution due to its failure to include a Bill of Rights.  

The strong demand for a Bill of Rights forced delegates like Madison to add amendments crucial for securing the Constitution’s ratification in key states.  On Dec. 15, 1791, Virginia became the 11th state to approve the amendments, reaching the required three-fourths majority. Passed by Congress on Sept. 25, 1789, this process involved states ratifying 10 of Mason’s 12 proposed amendments, creating the first 10 amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights and his firm commitment to individual liberties inspired generations of Americans and others throughout the world.  As citizens, we must continue to honor and remember the legacy of Mason, one of our Founding Fathers.