What is The Virginia Declaration of Rights?

What will be an ideal response?


The Virginia Declaration of Rights was drafted by George Mason and later was adopted on June 12, 1776. The Virginia Declaration of Rights was written after the members of Virginia's fifth Revolutionary Convention voted in favor to prepare for a new plan of government following the decision to break from Great Britain. Mason’s initial draft contained ten paragraphs that outline rights such as the ability to confront one's accusers in court and to present evidence in court, protection from self-incrimination, the right to a speedy trial, the right to a trial by jury, and the extension of religious tolerance. The final version of the Virginia Declaration of Rights consisted of sixteen sections with added rights such as providing protections for the press, striking down ex post facto laws, banning excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment. The Virginia Declaration of Rights has been an influential document and a forerunner for many documents that followed. Thomas Jefferson rephrased Mason’s statement of freedom in his Declaration of Independence. James Madison expanded on Mason’s ideas of guaranteed rights when he wrote the Bill of Rights to the U.S Constitution.

History

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African Americans constitute roughly what percentage of America’s prison population?

a. 21% b. 47% c. 68% d. 83%

History

Which of the following played a central role in the collection of oral histories of Indian accounts of the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century?

A) missionaries B) conquistadors C) mercantilists D) Huguenots

History

The United States launched its first major offensive against Japan and captured __________.

a. Midway b. Guadalcanal c. Hiroshima d. Iwo Jima

History

How did British electoral practices make government oversight of factories difficult?

a) Many parliamentary seats were in the hands of aristocrats and country squires, who might live far from the new factory cities or factories and know little about them. b) Parliamentary seats were controlled by wealthy Londoners, who wanted to expand the number of factories. Consider This: The family controlling the seat for Manchester lived 75 miles away. See 7.5: Narrative: Children’s Work. c) The House of Lords rather than the House of Commons controlled Parliament, and the aristocrats were unconcerned about trade and manufacture. Consider This: The family controlling the seat for Manchester lived 75 miles away. See 7.5: Narrative: Children’s Work. d) Control of Parliament was still in royal hands, and the monarchs cared more about raising taxes for war efforts than about reforming labor practices. Consider This: The family controlling the seat for Manchester lived 75 miles away. See 7.5: Narrative: Children’s Work.

History