22 - George Mason (VA)

#22 - George Mason (VA)
Birthplace: Fairfax County, Virginia
Age at Convention: 62

Note: Delegate to the Congress, but did not sign the Constitution because he opposed it's ratification.

1) Religion
-- Supported the separation of church and state and worked to end government support of churches in Virginia
-- Proposed the following in a draft of the Virginia Declaration of Independence: "That as Religion, or the Duty which we owe to our divine and omnipotent Creator, and the Manner of discharging it, can be governed only by Reason and Conviction, not by Force or Violence; and therefore that all Men shou'd enjoy the fullest Toleration in the Exercise of Religion, according to the Dictates of Conscience, unpunished and unrestrained by the Magistrate, unless, under Colour of Religion, any man disturb the Peace, the Happiness, or Safety of Society, or of Individuals. And that it is the mutual Duty of all, to practice Christian Forebearance, Love and Charity towards Each other"
-- Played a key role in opposing Patrick Henry's 1785 Bill for the Support of the Teachers of the Christian Religion
-- Leveled some of the strongest criticism of slavery yet heard at the convention, declaring it an "evil" system that produced "the most pernicious effect on manners." He declared that "every master of slaves is born a petty tyrant" and warned that slavery would "bring the judgment of heaven on a Country" and ultimately produce "national calamities."

2) Slavery
-- Owned slaves - no record of him freeing his slaves.
-- Publicly vocal against slave importation, and he fought against its inclusion in the Constitution of the United States.
--

3) Upbringing
-- Father died at age 10, after which he was raised primarily by his uncle

References:
1) http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/convention/delegates/mason.html
2) http://candst.tripod.com/tnppage/qmason.htm
3) http://www.geocities.com/peterroberts.geo/Relig-Politics/GMason.html
4) http://www.gunstonhall.org/georgemason/quotes.html#on
5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mason
6) http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2000/winter/garrisons-constitution-2.html

Running tabulation:
1) Religiously Active (22) or Primarily Secular (12)
2) Abolitionist (14), Partial Abolitionist (16) or Non-Abolitionist (4)
3) Wealthy (13) or Middle-Class/Poor (21)