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I am attempting in this paper to describe the colonial ideas and institutions, which must have influenced George Wason in the writing of his Declaration of Right.s for ~he Virginia Conv~ntion of 1776. First, I will show the effect of European thought and customs in the colonies. The English liberal tradition, which culminated in the seventeenth century struggle for civil liberties and a constitutional monarchy, is quite important. Since the Declaration of Rights can not be understood unless ils immediate backgr?und is known,.I will discuss the more American aspects of colonial life, which must have affected George Mason's political thought. The status of government, justice, religion and civil liberties in colonial Virginia should be investigated. The Declaration, as a revolutionary document, instead of summing up the rights achieved by the colonists, contains a blueprint for the futur