The Recollections of John Mason, by Terry K. Dunn

Edited and Introduced by Terry K. Dunn | Show Publication detailsHide Publication details

George Mason tends to be remembered today for refusing to endorse the Federal Constitution during its ratification process in September 1787. His objection to the Constitution notwithstanding, the reclusive Virginian played a pivotal role in shaping the new American republic. He did this by writing the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which the Virginia convention approved in the spring of 1776. This proved to be the model for the Bill of Rights which was incorporated into the United States Constitution in 1791.

This book is a revised edition of the book historian and author Terry Dunn published in 1998. It contains the recollections of Mason’s eldest son, John, who complied his remembrances of his boyhood years at Gunston Hall in the 1830s. John’s manuscript includes accounts of his mother and father. Which can be found in no other source. John describes George Mason as a complex man who preferred the “happiness of independence & a private Station to the troubles and Vexations of Public Business….” Mrs. Dunn’s attention to detail and her selection of beautifully colored plates this edition make it a delightfully informative read.