National Mall and Memorial Parks

—George Mason Memorial —

"All men are born equally free and independent. And have certain inherent natural rights... among which are the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety."
Virginia Declaration of Rights, June 1776
This quote is inscribed next to the statue of George Mason

In front of you a statue of George Mason holds a book by Cicero, a Roman politician and orator. Mason used ideas from Cicero and others to write the Virginia Declaration of Rights in May of 1776, the first document to protect individual rights in the United States. The document served as inspiration for the Declaration of Independence written weeks later. When Mason's ideas for protecting individual rights were unanimously rejected at the 1787 Constitutional Convention he campaigned against the Constitution's passage. However, Mason's ideas lived on. James Madison borrowed heavily from Mason to write the Bill of Rights, securing American individual liberties for over 220 years.

The George Mason Memorial will be closed to the public from September 2017 to fall of 2018 for restoration and repair of the fountains.
Funded by the National Park Service Centennial Challenge with a match by the Trust for the National Mall.

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  Washington, DC  |  20242  |  District Of Columbia  |  United States of America

Defender of Liberty
River Bottom to Parkland
Cuban Friendship Urn
The Gift of Friendship
Thomas Jefferson
Air Mail
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Historical
The Line of Duty
The Gift of Trees - The 1910 Shipment
Canada's Gift to the United States

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.