GUNSTON HALL'S ANNUAL LIBERTY LECTURE SERIES CONSIDERS "AMERICAN DEMOCRACY AT HOME AND ABROAD"

Thursdays, March 3, 10, & 17 - lectures begin at 7:30 p.m.

Light refreshments each evening from 7 - 7:30 p.m.

Mason Neck, VA - Gunston Hall Plantation, historic home of patriot George Mason, hosts the three-part 2005 Liberty Lecture Series examining the influence of American democracy on other nations and cultures and on the principles of government which have universal and timeless application. 

The series opens on March 3 with an historical survey, "The Influence of the American Constitutional Experience on Other Lands," delivered by esteemed Professor of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, A. E. Dick Howard. 

On March 10, John K. Setear, also with the University of Virginia School of Law, will discuss "The Supreme Court and International Law," following brief remarks by George Mason portrayed by Don McAndrews. 

Brett H. McGurk with Kirkland & Ellis, Washington, D.C., will explore "Democracy & Constitutionalism in Iraq" in the final lecture on March 17. 

FREE and open to the general public, the lively and thought-provoking annual series is dedicated to examining the state of American rights today and to setting those rights within the context of historic change. Reservations are requested, but not required. Teacher recertification points are available at the discretion of individual school jurisdictions.

White Burkett Miller Professor of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, A. E. DICK HOWARD is widely acknowledged as an expert in the fields of constitutional law, comparative constitutionalism, and the Supreme Court. 

DON MCANDREW's diligent personal research for over two decades of George Mason's writings, public and private life, and the times and circumstances within which Mason lived, contribute to his convincing and informative portrayal of the Virginia Founder. 

Professor of Law at the University of Virginia, JOHN K. SETEAR is an international relations expert and teaches courses in contracts, international law, and environmental drafting. He served as clerk for United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O''Connor. 

Appellate Litigation Associate with Kirkland & Ellis, Washington, DC, BRETT H. MCGURK teaches Law of Occupation and Post-Conflict Rebuilding at the University of Virginia and served as Associate General Counsel to the Coalition Provisional Authority and worked at the Office of the Legal Advisor at the U. S. Embassy in Baghdad in 2004.

Author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776 and among the leading craftsmen of the United States Constitution in 1787, Mason sought a form of government which would represent the will of the people and guarantee a balance for executive power. Mason''s home, an educational agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia open to the public since 1950, is located 20 miles south of Washington, DC off Routes I-95 and 1. The site is open daily from 9:30 to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year''s Day. For information, call 703/550-9220 or visit www.GunstonHall.org.

Linda Hartman 703/550-9220

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