{"id":5446,"date":"2020-06-05T12:03:03","date_gmt":"2020-06-05T12:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regnersmorningcoffee.com\/blogger\/?p=5446"},"modified":"2020-04-09T06:15:29","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T06:15:29","slug":"another-coffee-break-our-forefathers-covenants-part-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regnersmorningcoffee.com\/blogger\/another-coffee-break-our-forefathers-covenants-part-26\/","title":{"rendered":"ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: OUR FOREFATHERS\u2019 COVENANTS, Part 26"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

OUR FOREFATHERS\u2019\r\nCOVENANTS<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Part 26<\/span><\/b><\/p>\r\n

\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

June 5, 2020<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

I\u2019m going to run a little long today but I want to finish up with our\r\nabbreviated history of one of the most significant founding fathers, George\r\nMason.<\/a><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

In May of\r\n1776, George Mason wrote, \"All men are born\r\nequally free and independent, and have certain inherent natural rights ....\r\namong which are the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring\r\nand possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.\"<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/i><\/b>His statement became part and\r\nparcel of the Virginia Constitution.\u00a0 It was a mere two months later that\r\nThomas Jefferson cribbed from Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights while\r\nwriting the Declaration of Independence.\u00a0 Many historians have suggested\r\nthat Jefferson's version was not an improvement on Mason's.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Only weeks\r\nlater, on June 12, 1776, Mason penned Article XVI of the Virginia State\r\nConstitution.\u00a0 It is a remarkable statement, and later became part of the\r\nFirst Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.\u00a0 George Mason\r\nwrote, \"That Religion, or the Duty which\r\nwe owe our Creator, and the Manner of discharging it, can be directed only by\r\nReason and Convictions, not by Force or Violence; and therefore all Men are\r\nequally entitled to the free exercise of Religion, according to the Dictates of\r\nConscience; and that it is the mutual Duty of all to practice Christian\r\nForbearance, Love, and Charity towards each other.\"<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Not long\r\nthereafter, he addressed the General Court of Virginia when the question of the\r\ncourt's authority arose.\u00a0 He said, \"The\r\nlaws of nature are the laws of God, whose authority can be superseded by no\r\npower on earth.\"<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Mason's\r\ninvolvement in the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 brought\r\nhim to the floor as one of its most frequent and outspoken delegates.\u00a0 A\r\nman of strong convictions and personal integrity, Mason was adamant in his\r\nbelief that the U.S. Constitution must protect the rights and liberties of its\r\ncitizens.\u00a0 When the original final draft was presented for ratification\r\nand failed to limit the federal government's power to infringe on religious\r\nliberty and personal rights, he refused to sign the Constitution despite the\r\npleas of his fellow Virginians, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson.\u00a0 Even\r\nwith Madison's assurance that the Bill of Rights Mason had crafted for the\r\nstate of Virginia would be presented at the next Constitutional Convention for\r\nadaptation and inclusion, Mason remained steadfast in his refusal to sign.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Despite\r\nthe fact that he had inherited an enormous plantation and had more than 300\r\nslaves, George disapproved strongly of the slave trade and wrote his\r\nfellow-delegates that slavery was, \"that\r\nslow poison, which is daily contaminating the minds and morals of our\r\npeople.\"<\/span><\/o:p><\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

PC\r\nhistorians have sought to rewrite history and pretend that our founding fathers\r\nfought for \"separation of church and state,\" eschewing and decrying\r\nall mention of Jesus Christ and God Almighty as the basis of our nation's\r\nConstitution.\u00a0 Many of them have ignored folks like George Mason who\r\nauthored so many documents, the wording of which was incorporated -- one way or\r\nanother -- into the documents that made up America's beginnings.\u00a0 One PC\r\nhistorian described Mason as \"the biggest slave-owner to attend the\r\nConstitutional Convention,\" ignoring Mason's own public statements on\r\nslavery, and his actions which led (years after his death) to the abolishing of\r\nslavery.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

As I have\r\nalready noted, Mason felt that the Constitution -- as originally presented for\r\nratification -- did not go far enough in protecting individual rights and local\r\ninterests.\u00a0 He also expressed his concern that the Presidency was too\r\npowerful, exercising in many cases the same powers that the English kings\r\nexercised.\u00a0 His calls for a Bill of Rights and for an end to the\r\nimportation of slaves were rejected.\u00a0 He sought for something in our\r\nConstitution that would ban slavery outright, but too many of his\r\nfellow-slaveholders vehemently opposed such a suggestion.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

He\r\nopposition to the Constitution as framed, and refusal to sign it, ended a\r\nlong-time friendship with George Washington and James Madison (and that, quite\r\npossibly, is why we have had so little mention of George Mason's name as being\r\nsynonymous with Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, et al.), provoking\r\noccasional attacks (though not from Washington and Madison) on his mental\r\npowers and acuity.\u00a0 One supporter of the Constitution accused him of\r\nhaving lost his wits in his old age.\u00a0 Never at a loss for words, Mason\r\nquipped, \"Sir, when yours fail, nobody\r\nwill ever discover it.\"<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Mason was\r\nnot alone in his opposition to the Constitution as framed.\u00a0 Patrick Henry\r\n(of whom we have already written) joined him in a vociferous fight against\r\nratification, arguing that all three branches of the Federal Government had\r\nbeen given far too much power.\u00a0 Together, they argued that the\r\n\"necessary and proper\" and \"general welfare\" clauses would\r\ngive Congress unlimited power over the states.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Historical\r\nauthor Russ Walton writes that \"It was this phrase, of George Mason's\r\nwhich later became incorporated in the Declaration of Independence as \u2019the laws of nature and nature's God.<\/span>\"<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

I'd like\r\nto take you behind the scenes in George Mason's authorship of the Bill of\r\nRights, and the forcefulness with which he fought for religious liberties as a\r\npart of our Constitutional heritage and rights.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

During the\r\n1770's, the English Parliament -- in an effort to stem the growing rebellion in\r\nthe American Colonies -- passed law after law after law attacking American\r\nliberty.\u00a0 George Mason had already been involved in the affairs of\r\ngovernment, functioning first as a judge, and then as a legislator.\u00a0 The\r\ndeath of his wife, Ann, in 1773 contributed in no small part to the\r\nintensifying of his activities in shaping and writing legislation since it\r\nprovided him a means to set aside his grief.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

When, in\r\n1774, he drew up the Halifax Resolves, outlining the colonists legal and\r\nconstitutional grounds for their objections to the Boston Port Act, his\r\nfellow-Virginians began to really see him as someone whose legal mind and\r\nrational thought processes could serve Virginia's needs for its own\r\nConstitution.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Already\r\ninvolved in the Constitutional debates surrounding America's Declaration of\r\nIndependence, Mason's arguments put him in the right place at the right time\r\nwhen Virginia began to consider its own status.\u00a0 He was an active\r\nparticipant in the Virginia House of Burgesses, arguing for Virginia's\r\nliberties as a self-governing entity.\u00a0 As I noted in our previous Coffee\r\nBreak, George Mason was also a very loud voice at the Constitutional\r\nConventions in calling for a Bill of Rights.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

It takes\r\nno great imagination to understand why George Mason disliked politics, but he\r\nconsidered that his first obligation as a legislator -- and one whose opinion\r\nwas valued among his fellow founders -- was to protect individual\r\nliberties.\u00a0 He believed that this was the principal role of\r\ngovernment.\u00a0 Though his primary labors were among the Federalists, Mason\r\nwas at heart an anti-Federalist who believed that Federal Government should be\r\nseverely restricted in its powers; and that individual states should have the\r\ngreater say in their affairs.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

He joined\r\nthe Virginia Committee of Correspondence joining in a cooperative effort with\r\nother colonies to oppose the British Parliament's actions through\r\n\"non-importation agreements\" (in reality a boycott of British\r\ngoods).\u00a0 He was a principal author of the rules for the boycotts in\r\nVirginia.\u00a0 When King George and his Parliament refused to back down,\r\nGeorge Mason joined fellow-Virginian George Washington in writing the Fairfax\r\nResolves: a document which condemned Parliament's actions as illegal and a\r\nviolation of American liberty, and gave Virginians a reason to resist British\r\ninterference in their lives.
\r\n
\r\nOn May 20, 1776, after it had become obvious that America would separate from\r\nGreat Britain, Mason began six days of writing, working on a new constitution\r\nthat would guarantee the rights of individuals.\u00a0 James Madison (who was\r\nalso a delegate to the Virginia Convention) had named Mason the \"master\r\nbuilder\" (i.e., the primary author) of the Virginia Constitution and the\r\nVirginia Declaration of Rights.\u00a0 George Mason took his task seriously.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Over the\r\nnext six days, Mason wrote as follows:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

\u201dA Declaration of Rights, made by the Representatives of the\r\ngood People of Virginia, assembled in full Convention; and recommended to\r\nPosterity as the Basis and Foundation of Government.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

That all Men are born equally free and independent, and have\r\ncertain inherent natural Rights, of which they can not by any Compact, deprive\r\nor divest their Posterity; among which are the Enjoyment of Life and Liberty,\r\nwith the Means of acquiring and possessing Property, and pursuing and obtaining\r\nHappiness and Safety.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

That Power is, by God and Nature, vested in, and consequently\r\nderived from the People; that Magistrates are their Trustees and Servants, and\r\nat all times amenable to them.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

That Government is, or ought to be, instituted for the common\r\nBenefit and Security of the People, Nation, or Community. Of all the various\r\nModes and Forms of Government, that is best, which is capable of producing the\r\ngreatest Degree of Happiness and Safety, and is most effectually secured\r\nagainst the Danger of mal-administration. And that whenever any Government\r\nshall be found inadequate, or contrary to these Purposes, a Majority of the\r\nCommunity had an indubitable, inalienable and indefeasible Right to reform,\r\nalter or abolish it, in such Manner as shall be judged most conducive to the\r\nPublic Weal.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

That no Man, or Set of Men are entitled to exclusive or separate\r\nEmoluments or Privileges from the Community, but in Consideration of public\r\nServices; which not being descendible, or hereditary, the Idea of a Man born a\r\nMagistrate, a Legislator, or a Judge is unnatural and absurd.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

That the legislative and executive Powers of the State should be\r\nseparate and distinct from the judicative; and that the Members of the two\r\nfirst may be restrained from Oppression, by feeling and participating the\r\nBurthens they may lay upon the People; they should, at fixed Periods be reduced\r\nto a private Station, and returned, by frequent, certain and regular Elections,\r\ninto that Body from which they were taken.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

That no part of a Man's Property can be taken from him, or\r\napplied to public uses, without the Consent of himself, or his legal\r\nRepresentatives; nor are the People bound by any Laws, but such as they have in\r\nlike Manner assented to for their common Good.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

That in all capital or criminal Prosecutions, a Man hath a right\r\nto demand the Cause and Nature of his Accusation, to be confronted with the\r\nAccusers or Witnesses, to call for Evidence in his favour, and to a speedy\r\nTryal by a Jury of his Vicinage; without whose unanimous Consent, he can not be\r\nfound guilty; nor can he be compelled to give Evidence against himself. And\r\nthat no Man, except in times of actual Invasion or Insurrection, can be\r\nimprisoned upon Suspicion of Crimes against the State, unsupported by Legal\r\nEvidence.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

That no free Government, or the Blessings of Liberty can be\r\npreserved to any People, but by a firm adherence to Justice, Moderation,\r\nTemperance, Frugality, and Virtue and by frequent Recurrence to fundamental\r\nPrinciples.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

That as Religion, or the Duty which we owe to our divine and\r\nomnipotent Creator, and the Manner of discharging it, can be governed only by\r\nReason and Conviction, not by Force or Violence; and therefore that all Men\r\nshould enjoy the fullest Toleration in the Exercise of Religion, according to\r\nthe Dictates of Conscience, unpunished and unrestrained by the Magistrate,\r\nunless, under Col- our of Religion, any Man disturb the Peace, the Happiness,\r\nor Safety of Society, or of Individuals. And that it is the mutual Duty of all,\r\nto practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards Each other.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

That in all controversies respecting Property, and in Suits\r\nbetween Man and Man, the ancient Tryal by Jury is preferable to any other, and\r\nought to be held sacred.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

The\r\noriginal document containing the above proposed parts of the bill of rights was\r\nentirely written in George Mason's hand.\u00a0 That document today is in the\r\nMason papers in the Library of Congress.\u00a0 As proposed by Mason, the entire\r\nBill of Rights was debated, amended and ratified, passing unanimously on June\r\n12, 1776.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

\"The genius of Mason's Declaration,\"<\/span><\/i><\/b> as\r\nThomas Jefferson said of his own Declaration of Independence, <\/span>\"was\r\nnot in the originality of principle of sentiment... [Rather,] it was intended\r\nto be an expression of the American mind\"<\/span><\/i><\/b>with\r\nits brilliant <\/span>\"harmonizing sentiments of the day.\"<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Incorporated\r\ninto Jefferson's remarks is the perfect squelch for the liberal, revisionist\r\nargument of today that the founders never intended for America to become a\r\nChristian nation.\u00a0 If the true sentiment of our founding fathers was, as\r\nGeorge Mason wrote, <\/span>\"the mutual Duty of all, to practice Christian\r\nForbearance, Love and Charity towards Each other,\"<\/span><\/i><\/b>then\r\nindeed they expected that America would function under the headship of the Lord\r\nJesus Christ without denominational preference or effort to establish one the\r\ndoctrines of one [Christian] sect over another.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

William\r\nC. Rives characterized Mason's Declaration as <\/span>\"a\r\ncondensed, logical and luminous summary of the great principle of freedom\r\ninherited by us from our British ancestors; the extracted essence of the Magna\r\nCharta, the Petition of Rights, the Acts of the Long Parliament, and the\r\ndoctrines of the Revolution of 1688 as expounded by Locke, - distilled and\r\nconcentrated through the alembic of his own powerful and discriminating mind.\r\nThere is nothing more remarkable in the political annals of America than this\r\npaper. It has stood the rude test of every vicissitude.\"<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

George\r\nMason's Article X of Virginia's Bill of Rights was modified and amended\r\nslightly after much debate.\u00a0 The final draft read like this: <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

That Religion, or the duty which we owe to our CREATOR, and the\r\nmanner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by\r\nforce or violence; and therefore, that all men should enjoy the fullest\r\ntoleration in the exercise of religion, according to the dictates of\r\nconscience, unpunished and unrestrained by the magistrate, unless, under colour\r\nof religion, any man disturb the peace, the happiness, or safety of society.\r\nAnd that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love\r\nand charity towards each other.<\/span><\/b><\/cite><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

As I noted\r\npreviously, George Mason's labors became the backbone of our nation's\r\nConstitutional Bill of Rights, articulated in Amendments I through X.\u00a0\r\nMason's Article X became Amendment I to the U.S. Constitution, revised to read:\r\n<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of\r\nreligion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of\r\nspeech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and\r\nto petition the Government for a redress of grievances.<\/span><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Now you\r\nknow the history of that Amendment to the Constitution.\u00a0 And now you know\r\nthe fraud that has been -- and is being -- perpetrated on America today in the\r\nguise of \"separation of church and state.\"\u00a0 No such phrase\r\nexists in our Constitution, and history shows us that our founding fathers\r\nNEVER meant for such a concept to be interpreted from the statements of rights\r\nand liberties drafted.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

George\r\nMason went to be with the Lord less than a year after his Bill of Rights was\r\nratified as a part of the Constitution on December 15, 1791.\u00a0 He died at\r\nhis Gunston Hall Plantation home October 7, 1792.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

In his\r\nLast Will and Testament, Mason wrote, \"My\r\nsoul, I resign into the hands of my Almighty Creator, whose tender mercies are\r\nover all His works, who hateth nothing that He hath made, and to the Justice\r\nand Wisdom of whose dispensation I willing and cheerfully submit, humbly hoping\r\nfrom His unbounded mercy and benevolence, through the merits of my blessed\r\nSavior, a remission of my sins.\"<\/span><\/o:p><\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

It seems\r\nalmost ridiculous and redundant to make the statement that few of our founders\r\nhave had more of lasting impact on the history and future of this nation than\r\nGeorge Mason.\u00a0 Each of our founding fathers played an integral role in\r\nestablishing America as a Christian nation.\u00a0 Yet Mason, like his friend\r\nPatrick Henry, fought with every breath of his existence for our religious\r\nliberties and rights as Christians, determined to the death to see that America\r\nwould not follow in the footsteps of other nations as an unGodly country,\r\ncorrupted by the greed for personal power and self-aggrandizement, and\r\nreligions that rejected Jesus Christ as Lord.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

In case you\r\nare missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, our Sunday\r\nworship gatherings are available by conference call \u2013 usually at about 10:30AM\r\nPacific.\u00a0 <\/span>That conference number is <\/span><\/b>(712) 770-4160<\/span><\/b>, and the\r\naccess code is <\/span><\/b>308640#.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0 <\/span>We are now making these gatherings\r\navailable on video usingZOOM.\u00a0 <\/span>If you wish\r\nto participate by video on ZOOM, our login ID is 835-926-513.\u00a0 <\/span>If you miss the live voice-onlycall, you can\r\ndial <\/span><\/b>(712) 770-4169<\/span><\/b>, enter the same access code and listen in later.\u00a0 <\/span>The video call, of course, is not recorded \u2013\r\nnot yet, anyway.<\/span><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Blessings on you!<\/o:p><\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Regner<\/span><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Regner A. Capener<\/span><\/b>
\r\nCAPENER MINISTRIES<\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

RIVER WORSHIP CENTER<\/span>
\r\nTemple, Texas 76502<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Email Contact: <\/span>CapenerMinistries@protonmail.com<\/span><\/u><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A.\r\nCapener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in\r\nwhole or in part, is granted \u2013provided proper attribution and this notice are\r\nincluded intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available .<\/span><\/u> Coffee Break articles are normally published\r\nweekly.
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\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

CAPENER MINISTRIES<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>is\r\na tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant\r\nwith us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above\r\nemail or physical addresses, or visit:\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/www.RiverWorshipCenter.org<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> \r\n
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m going to run a little long today but I want to finish up with our abbreviated history of one of the most significant founding fathers, George Mason.
\nIn May of 1776, George Mason wrote, “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, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.” His statement became part and parcel of the Virginia Constitution. It was a mere two months later that Thomas Jefferson cribbed from Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights while writing the Declaration of Independence. Many historians have suggested that Jefferson’s version was not an improvement on Mason’s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[204,1],"tags":[205,65,99],"class_list":["post-5446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-204","category-another-coffee-break","tag-205","tag-another-coffee-break","tag-june"],"yoast_head":"\nANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: OUR FOREFATHERS\u2019 COVENANTS, Part 26 - Regners Morning Coffee<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/regnersmorningcoffee.com\/blogger\/another-coffee-break-our-forefathers-covenants-part-26\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: OUR FOREFATHERS\u2019 COVENANTS, Part 26 - Regners Morning Coffee\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019m going to run a little long today but I want to finish up with our abbreviated history of one of the most significant founding fathers, George Mason. In May of 1776, George Mason wrote, "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, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety." His statement became part and parcel of the Virginia Constitution. It was a mere two months later that Thomas Jefferson cribbed from Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights while writing the Declaration of Independence. 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