{\b The Virginia Declaration of Rights}.

{\b General Outline}.

The 'Virginia Declaration of Rights' is a concise statement of human rights. 
It was written because the American colonies wanted to sever their ties with 
Great Britain for the abuse of the basic rights of the colonists.

  
{\b Historical Background}.

In May, 1776 the Virginia Convention took the first steps to separate itself 
from the British Empire. One result was the adoption of the 'Virginia 
Declaration of Rights' by the Convention on July 12th, 1776. It was written 
by George Mason (1725-1792) who was a plantation owner, statesman and 
political philosopher. At the Federal Constitutional Convention in 1787 Mason 
was opposed to the United States Constitution since it did not have a 
catalogue of human rights. The insistence of Mason that a statement of rights 
be included in the Constitution, along with the eloquence of the Virginia 
declaration,  resulted in the motion for a bill of rights in Congress in 1789 
by James Madison. The Bill of Rights subsequently became part of the United 
States Constitution in the first ten amendments.

{\b Basic Features}. 
George Mason was influenced by Locke in the development of this theory of 
natural rights, which was intended to protect individuals from the abuse of 
their rights. 

To avoid the violation of rights, power was dispersed in the state legislature 
and not concentrated in the executive branch of government. This was to create 
a more effective separation of powers, since the strong influence of King 
George III in the British Parliament had led to abuse of the individual rights 
of the American colonists.  
 
{\b Conclusion}.

This 'Virginia Declaration of Rights' was used as a model statement of 
fundamental rights by other American states. It was used as a foundation for 
the American Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights. It was also 
influential in France, where it was the basis for the Declaration of the 
Rights of Man and of the Citizen in 1789.