As we consider the founding fathers

With all the talk this week about the First Amendment, I can’t neglect to mention the award-winning George Mason, Forgotten Founder, by Jeff Broadwater. Mason was one of the country’s earliest champions of civil liberties as the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. In fact, at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Mason pushed for such a bill of rights to be included in the new nation’s Constitution; when the final draft of the Constitution didn’t include a Bill of Rights, Mason refused to sign it. Broadwater argues that Mason’s refusal to sign the document demonstrates lessons learned from the American Revolution. Mason’s utmost concern was the potential for government abuse of political power.

An alternate selection of the History Book Club and American Compass, Broadwater’s biography of Mason was awarded the 2006 Richard Slatten Prize for Excellence in Virginia Biography by the Virginia Historical Society and was named a Best Nonfiction/Biography of 2006 by the Washington Post Book World.

Enjoy the freedom of the press? Let’s thank George Mason. And for telling us all about Mason, well, we can thank Jeff Broadwater.

Thanks, George. Thanks, Jeff.