Book Review: George Mason: The Founding Father Who Gave Us the Bill of Rights

George Mason: The Founding Father Who Gave Us the Bill of Rights. William G. Hyland Jr. (Regnery History; released  May 7, 2019; $29.99). Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-62157-926-7 

The U.S. Constitution was a rushed document.  Many necessary and essential freedoms and guarantees for the citizens of this new nation were overlooked in the initial penning.  What the Constitution needed, to make it a “ for the people” document was the Bill of Rights. Individual freedoms were not addressed in the first penning of the Constitution. George Mason, a theorist of the American Revolution, had written the Virginia Declaration of Rights, upon which Jefferson based the Declaration of Independence.  Mason had done his homework and was to become the chief architect of the American Bill of Rights. Mason knew what citizen freedoms were and that these freedoms needed to be carefully addressed, listed and guaranteed. Then and Now.

George Mason has been both unappreciated and underestimated as a Founding Father. Mason’s reputation has been hidden and neglected in the reporting of history. He insisted that rights be specifically written and his refusal to sign the Constitution was because that document did not have the language for the first key ten amendments included.  Mason campaigned for the addition of the Bill of Rights. 

William Hyland investigates this fascinating history of the revolution and he is determined to reclaim George Mason’s rightful place in American history.  Our civil rights were just as important to our founding fathers as they are to us, currently as we negotiate the path of life.  

Enjoy this carefully researched biography of George Mason, the unheralded creator of the Bill of Rights……Carol  

More about the author: William G. Hyland Jr. received his BA from the University of Alabama and a JD from Sanford University’s Cumberland School of Law. He has written on legal topics, a trial lawyer for over 25 years, and has worked for the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

Carol Duff, MSN, BA, RN

Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.

She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.

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