Virginia Declaration of Rights

The June 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights served as a model for the United States Bill of Rights, which was ratified by the states in 1791. American statesman George Mason drafted the influential Virginia declaration, which listed the personal freedoms guaranteed by the state. Among the principles set out in the declaration were freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and the right to a prompt and fair trial. The founding documents of many other states borrowed from Virginia’s declaration of rights and from its constitution.