Thomas Jefferson’s resume is hard to beat. At 23, he was serving in the Virginia Colonial Legislature and, within a decade, he was in the Virginia governor’s mansion. He followed that up as ambassador to France, secretary of state, vice president, and a two-term president. From a lifetime of profound accomplishments, he chose three to list on his tombstone at Monticello. Today is the 239th anniversary of one of those accomplishments, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which he drafted in 1777 and the Virginia Legislature adopted in 1786. Remembering a past event can be worthwhile, but doing so here must rekindle a present commitment to this fundamental freedom.
Jefferson left for France in May 1785, leaving the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in James Madison’s hands to get it over the legislative finish line. The Virginia Statute for Religious…
