#1 in a series about some of the Founding Fathers and places concerning their work.

You will find George Mason’s memorial at the West Potomac Park close to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. The fountain in front of him is empty, and a sign tells you that the memorial is closed for renovation. I was glad to find him sitting alone on his bench. No other tourist would have thought this place was worth visiting.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Who is George Mason (1725-1792)?

We ought to remember him as he is the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which served as an inspiration to Thomas Jefferson when he drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776 celebrated especially Fourth of July. The official buildings in Washington D.C. were beautifully decorated with the American flag.

Eisenhower Executive Office Building close to The White House

Mason later served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. He withheld his signature because the document did not abolish the slave trade nor offer assurance Mason deemed essential to protect the individual from the Federal Government. Three years later, in 1789 the Constitution the first ten amendments were added to the American Constitution. Writing The Bill of Rights,  James Madison borrowed a lot from Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights.

I met George Mason

In future posts, I will blog about The Constitution Gardens also in the Washington D.C. National Mall, Memorial Parks and show you the buildings and rooms in Philadelphia where the Founders wrote the documents. You will also follow in my footsteps to The National Archives in D.C. where you will be able to line up to see The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights.