Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
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The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom is a landmark 1786 law authored by Thomas Jefferson that disestablished the Church of England in Virginia and guaranteed freedom of religion, heavily influencing later American constitutional protections of religious liberty.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
law
→
legal document → statute → |
| abolished |
legal establishment of the Church of England in Virginia
→
state support for the Church of England in Virginia → |
| author |
Thomas Jefferson
→
|
| commemoratedOn |
National Religious Freedom Day
→
|
| commemorationDate |
January 16
→
|
| country |
United States
→
|
| dateEnacted |
1786-01-16
→
|
| describedBySource |
Virginia legislative records
→
|
| draftDate |
1777
→
|
| drafter |
Thomas Jefferson
→
|
| field |
church–state relations
→
constitutional law → |
| guarantees |
free exercise of religion
→
freedom of religion → |
| hasKeyConcept |
equality of all religions before the law
→
freedom of conscience → religious liberty as a natural right → separation of civil and ecclesiastical authority → |
| historicalPeriod |
American Revolutionary era
→
|
| influenced |
Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution
→
First Amendment to the United States Constitution → Free Exercise Clause of the United States Constitution → |
| influencedBy |
Enlightenment ideas
→
classical liberalism → natural rights philosophy → |
| introducedBy |
Thomas Jefferson
→
|
| jurisdiction |
Commonwealth of Virginia
→
|
| language |
English
→
|
| legalStatus |
enacted statute
→
|
| legislativeBody |
Virginia General Assembly
→
Virginia House of Delegates → Virginia Senate → |
| locationOfOriginal |
Virginia State Archives
→
|
| mentionedIn |
Thomas Jefferson's epitaph
→
|
| placeOfEnactment |
Richmond, Virginia
→
|
| politicalContext |
disestablishment of colonial churches
→
|
| prohibits |
coercion in matters of religious belief
→
compulsory support of religion → discrimination based on religious opinion → |
| promotedBy |
James Madison
→
|
| sponsor |
Thomas Jefferson
→
|
| state |
Virginia
→
|
| subject |
disestablishment of state church
→
religious freedom → separation of church and state → |
| yearEnacted |
1786
→
|
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Thomas Jefferson
→
|
notableWork |