On Wednesday, April 6th, at 3:00 p.m., we’ll be celebrating the book launch of The Five George Masons: Patriots and Planters of Virginia and Maryland. In preparation, George (the statue) has decked himself in Mason Pride colors—and you can also see that he’s proud of the new book.
University Professor Rosemarie Zagarri will be guest speaker at the book launch. The book, by Pamela C. Copeland and Richard K. MacMaster, was recently published in a new, second edition by the George Mason University Press. The book launch will be held in the Fenwick Library Main Reading Room.
May 6, 2016 will mark the 240th anniversary of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, a document that has left an indelible mark on democracy as we know it today. In the Virginia Declaration of Rights and his efforts revising the laws of Virginia, George Mason made lasting contributions to the American tradition of individual liberty and limited government. His draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights began “That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights…namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the 
means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.” These words inspired Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the United States Declaration of Independence, and likewise inspired the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of the French Revolution, one of the founding documents in the human rights tradition.
Dr. Zagarri will speak about “George Mason in History and Memory” as part of the Mason Author Series, sponsored by the University Libraries and the University Bookstore. The Mason Author Series highlights significant publications of George Mason University faculty and alumni.
First published in 1975, the second edition of The Five George Masons has been published in collaboration with the Board of Regents of Gunston Hall, and features an introductory note by George Mason University President Ángel Cabrera; a foreword by Scott Stroh, Executive Director of Gunston Hall; and new images and maps.
The event is free and open to the public. No registration is required. We hope you can join us!