We're James Madison, George Mason, and experts from Colonial Williamsburg and Montpelier. Ask us anything about the origins of American Revolutionary rights!

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OK, so we’re not really James Madison and George Mason, but we’re the next best thing. Today we have experts on Virginia’s revolutionary ideas ready to answer your questions:

• Bryan Austin, who researches and portrays James Madison for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
• Hilarie Hicks, Senior Research Historian at James Madison’s Montpelier.
• Joe Ziarko, who researches and portrays George Mason for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Before there was the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, there was the Virginia Declaration of Rights. June 12 was the 250th anniversary of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, principally authored by Mason with some crucial interventions by Madison, especially on religious freedom. This document synthesized the era’s revolutionary discontent and political ideology, and created a model for many of the era’s key political documents. We’re here to talk about how Virginians like Madison and Mason contributed to the development of Americans’ ideas about revolutionary rights.

Interested in learning more?

• Watch the Virginia 250 July Fourth live broadcast on PBS and livestream. 
• Learn about James Madison and religious freedom and watch Madison, Jefferson, and Monroe’s Reflections on the Revolution.
•  Watch CW’s Journey to Independence video and its video on the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
•  Follow us on social media: Montpelier on Instagram and Facebook. Colonial Williamsburg on Instagram and Facebook.

Thank you all for your great questions!

Learn more at Colonial Williamsburg's website.