George Mason was the oldest of that brilliant group of gentlemen radicals from Virginia who provided much of the intellectual structure of the war for American independence and the constitution that set the young republic on its way. His thinking soared farther from the parochial than any of his great contemporaries, and his greatest monument is the Virginia Declaration of Rights. This is Volume I of three volumes.A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.