How Did George Mason Influence The Constitution

These three men contributed a great deal to the Constitution that we live under today and were highly respected by the other delegates.

During the 1780s, I spoke out against the idea of expanding the power of the national government, I was viewed as the leader of the anti-federalists. In 1787, I was elected, along with John Lansing, Jr. and Alexander Hamilton to represent New York at the Philadelphia convention, the goal of this convention being to revise the Articles of Confederation. Both I and Lansing soon left the convention as we felt the real purpose of the convention was to produce a new form of government, not to revise the articles of confederation. Soon after this I wrote a letter to Governor Clinton, the governor of New York. In this letter I gave explicit reasons for my departure from the convention and informed him of my strong opposition to the constitution. I am most famous for writing many essays, under the pseudonym of Brutus, in which I argued federalist ideologies; I began each of my essays opposing these views by addressing these essays to the citizens of New

The Constitution was originally called the Virgina Plan and was wrote by James Madison. It then went to the Constitutional convention and was modified by fifty-five delegates ordered by George Washington. The Constitution was first signed by William Jackson, and there was thirty-nine more people who followed in Jackson's steps. There were twelve states that sent people to the convention. Rhode Island did not send anyone to the convention.

James Madison, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay wrote a series of special letters known as The Federalist Papers in an effort to get the constitution ratified.

Thirteen months later, Ben served on the committee that drafted the declaration of independence. He contributed to the Government by serving as a postmaster general, and took over the duties as a president of the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention. James Madison was known as the Father of the United States Constitution, no other delegate was prepared for the Federal Convention in 1787 like he was. Alexander Hamilton served in the legislature in 1787, which got him chosen as one of the delegates to the Convention. He was at a disadvantage against the other delegates because of how small of a role he played in the debates. He did however end up as one of the three delegates from New York that signed the finished document. George Washington always had concerns for the country’s future, so he was never a fan of the convention because of humanity’s common failings, and he realized that many citizens suspected the convention would be merely a seizure of power from the states by an all powerful central government and he didn’t want to attend because he didn’t want to appear as the power grasping type of person.The U.S. Constitution called "a living document." Though it may seem like a dry piece of paper to you, it really is designed to live and grow as the nation

George Mason strongly opposed Madison’s idea of a new national government. Mason thought that a federal government was unfair because it left less individual and state rights. His ideal government was one with a weak central government - the opposite of Madison’s. Mason preferred this, because when the central government is weak, the states assume most of the governmental power. Mason was an anti-federalist, and he was important in the process of the addition of the Bill of Rights, which secured individual rights and gave more authority to States.

During this convention, George Washington became a major part of the construction of our present-day Constitution and what it entails. He was mainly on board for the general outline of it and approved of much of what it contained and was even unanimously elected to be the very first chief executive of our country. But this was not how it all began, in fact, George Washington had to be essentially persuaded to even attend the convention due to his very strict views on the government and fear of how easily they can gain too much power. Although

7.Thomas Hooker- A British American clergyman who in Massachusetts wanted a more democratic rule but John Cotton believed only men with property could vote, so moving to Connecticut and creating Hartford let him create the first constitution.

In February 1787, Congress decided that this convention should be focused on revising the Article of Confederation. Debates were about the Virginia plan, how to over slavery, new executive branch, representation in Congress, giving power to President. Most delegates came to the Constitutional Convention clearly knew what was wrong about the Article of Confederation but not know how to fix it. The most outstanding delegate was James Madison. When he arrived at the convention, he brought a detailed proposal for new form of government. It is called “The Virginia Plan”, with some of new significant changes, it became the basic foundation for the Constitution’s final product. That is why so many people call him “The Father of Constitution.” What

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay were the authors who wrote these pieces and the three men wrote under the name of Publius (who was instrumental in the founding of the Roman democracy) instead of signing individual works. They all attended the Constitutional Convention, in fact, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison were the main ones who called for a Constitutional Convention.

He held beliefs that a mixed government would help protect against factions that might arise and corrupt the government by furthering their own interests rather than those of the people. Wythe was very involved in supporting the Revolutionary War and even volunteered to fight for American independence. However, he was elected instead to the Continental Congress and acted as a speaker for the Virginia delegates. Wythe was so successful and respected by his peers, that since he was absent the day the Declaration was signed, they left a space for his signature above all the other Virginia signers, including the main author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. He had a full career in government, with many different offices held including in 1755 a delegate then a clerk in the House of Burgesses for nearly 20 years, mayor of Williamsburg, Virginia, VA delegate at the Second Continental Congress, Speaker for the Virginia House of Delegates, as well as in 1778 Virginia Court of Chancery judge. He helped draft Virginia’s state constitution as well as helped design the seal of Virginia. In 1788, at the Virginia State Convention, Wythe advocated for the ratification of the Federal Constitution. Wythe’s standing in the legal and political community, and especially his connections to five of the voters helped win out against Patrick Henry and the Anti-Federalists. Wythe also helped draft the Bill of Rights which contained the first ten amendments to the Constitution that protected the rights of citizens from the government, drawing inspiration from George Mason’s Virginia Declaration of

The average age of the delegates was 42 and some of the most important delegates such as Alexander Hamilton, Edmund Randolph, Gouverneur Morris and James Madison were in their thirties. Many of the delegates graduated from college. In fact over half of them graduated from college 9 of them bring from Princeton and six from British Universities. Even more significant information was their political experience. In fact 8 signed the Declaration of Independence, 25 served in the continental Congress, 15 helped draft the new State Constitutions between 1776 and 1780, and 40 served in the Confederation Congress between 1783 and 1787.

One of the great things we have in this nation is freedom of speech. During these times this was a huge right among the colonists and the states. Many supporters and non-supporters would become very vocal during these times. Those most famous for pushing for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution were James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. They would produce and write articles that would become known as the Federalists Papers. “In total, the Federalist Papers consist of 85 essays outlining how this new government would operate and why this type of government was the best choice for the United States of America” (foundingfathers.info, 2010).

Other than James Madison in the 1787 Constitution Convention, I believe that Alexander Hamilton had the most impact upon the creation of the finished document. Hamilton did many things to have a great impact on the finished document. Some examples could be, Hamilton studying European ideas on their government and economy, proposing a new government outlined by the British system, defending the Constitution, becoming a part of the federalists, and continuing to fight for what he wanted done. Without Alexander Hamilton, the new government and document would not be where it is today.

I, George Mason, didn't sign the Constitution since I do not feel it formed a strong government that would make wise decisions. I say this based on my morals which are every man should be treated equally and with the rights to freedom and to vote for what fits their needs. All of us together should be more reasonable in our beliefs as a nation.