Virginia Declaration of Rights

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/virginia-declaration-of-rights

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who wrote Virginia Declaration of Rights?George Mason
2. What is the date of adoption?June 12, 1776
3. What is the philosophical foundation?Enlightenment ideals, particularly the natural rights philosophy of John Locke
4. Who helped write the Virginia Declaration of Rights?George Mason and other delegates wrote it in 1776 to stop governments from overstepping their power.
5. Why is the Virginia Declaration of Rights important?It helped shape the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, showing that people should have freedom.

Natural Rights: Fundamental rights believed to be inherent to all humans, not granted by any government.
Social Contract Theory: The idea that individuals implicitly agree to surrender certain freedoms for protection and order from a government.
Popular Sovereignty: The principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people.
Separation of Powers: A governmental structure where power is divided among distinct branches to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful.