Volume CLXXVI • No. 1

The Federal Ledger

Est. 1776 • Digital Archive of the Republic

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Declaration • 1786

Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

Thomas Jefferson
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
Facsimile — via Wikimedia Commons

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Jefferson drafted this statute in 1777; Madison shepherded it through the Virginia legislature in 1786. It disestablished the Anglican Church in Virginia and declared that 'no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship.' Jefferson considered it one of the three accomplishments worth listing on his tombstone.

Almighty God hath created the mind free, and manifested his supreme will that free it shall remain by making it altogether insusceptible of restraint. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief.
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