The Five George Masons

by Pamela C. Copeland, Richard K. McMaster

Overview

A Founding Father, a patriot in the Revolutionary War, a delegate from Virginia to the Constitutional Convention, and one of the driving forces behind the creation of the U.S. Bill of Rights, George Mason (1725-1792) worked passionately and diligently throughout his life, both as a private citizen and as a public servant, to ensure that government protected the inherent rights of the people. The Five George Masons, first published in 1975, provides a comprehensive overview of five generations of the Mason family, beginning with George Mason I, who fled England following the defeat of the Royalists at the second battle of Worcester in 1651, arriving in the Colony of Virginia in the early 1650s. Central to this volume, of course, is George Mason IV, who, while less celebrated than his fellow Virginians George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, was one of America’s outstanding thinkers, legislators, and writers; his ideals and legacy endure to this day.

This second edition includes a new foreword as well as color photos and maps, while faithfully reproducing the original edition’s unique genealogical charts of the Mason family. In tracing the family history of the Masons, the book provides important context for understanding the life and work of George Mason IV, who wrote: "All men are by nature equally free and inde¬pendent, and have certain inherent rights." The Five George Masons serves as a uniquely valuable resource for histo¬rians, educators, genealogists, and all those interested in the history of Virginia and the early United States.

Distributed for the George Mason University Press

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781942695004
Publisher:	Distribution
Publication date:	03/08/2016
Pages:	365
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

Table of Contents

Introductory Note Ángel Cabrera vii

Foreword to the Second Edition ix

Preface to First Edition xiii

Chapter 1 Colonel George Mason I 1

Chapter 2 Colonel George Mason II 19

Chapter 3 Colonel George Mason III 50

Chapter 4 George Mason IV: Country Gentleman 88

Chapter 5 George Mason IV: Internal Improvements and Western Lands 119

Chapter 6 George Mason IV: Plantation Economy 159

Chapter 7 George Mason IV: Civic and Parish Interests 177

Chapter 8 George Mason IV: The American Revolution 189

Chapter 9 George Mason IV: The Sage of Gunston Hall 229

Chapter 10 George Mason IV: Siblings and Progeny 246

Chapter 11 Notes on Later Masons 274

Genealogical Tables 279

Notes 297

Bibliography and Abbreviations 325

Index 333

Illustrations

Map: The Region of the Upper Potomac 3

Color Photo Gallery 151

Illustration: The opening of a letter from George Mason of Gunston Hall 352