Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

BOOK REVIEW:Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom: Faith & Liberty in Fredericksburg by Michael Aubrecht (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2024. $24.99 Paperback)

While there are numerous scholarly assessments of Thomas Jefferson’s religious beliefs, few books have been devoted to his Virginia “Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom,” and none describe the drafting process and setting where he composed the ground-breaking religious freedom statute. A historian, technical writer, and media producer, Michael Aubrecht fills this gap with a focused, new monograph. The author is a long-time Fredericksburg resident passionate about writing books describing the city’s religiosity and eighteenth and nineteenth-century history.

The author captivates readers’ interest by starting with Jefferson’s self-written gravestone epitaph. Penning the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was one of the three accomplishments Jefferson had inscribed on his tombstone for posterity. Jefferson believed his advocacy for religious freedom was on par with the other two accomplishments: his authorship of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the University of Virginia.

Historians and religious scholars have long argued over Jefferson’s spiritual beliefs. Aubrecht asserts that Jefferson was an “enlightened nationalist” governed by reason and heavily influenced by English Deists and Unitarians (page 52). However, the author notes Jefferson’s religious practices and writings lend themselves to differing interpretations. For example, he cites that Jefferson attended public worship but sought to keep religious instruction from being offered at the University of Virginia. Additionally, Jefferson invoked his religious beliefs as a politician while ascertaining the need to keep the government out of spiritual matters. Aubrecht poses the example of Jefferson offering prayers during his two presidential inaugural addresses, distinguishing between “an official making a public declaration of faith and an official call to prayer” (p. 55).

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Aubrecht provides many quotes and primary source excerpts that permit readers to judge Jefferson’s religiosity themselves. For example, he highlights this thought-provoking quote: “In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own” (p. 52). The author appends a compendium of religious quotes for further reflections and interpretations of Jefferson’s spiritual and government views.

Readers will come away with an overview of Jefferson’s spirituality, including many apparent inconsistencies and incongruities. What is essential for Aubrecht’s narrative is that Jefferson sought to separate religion and government, which led to the drafting of Virginia’s Religious Freedom Bill and heavily influenced the framers of the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Additionally, Aubrecht makes the case that Jefferson’s Virginia Statute continues to influence modern-day US Supreme Court decisions.

Aubrecht narrates the drafting process for Jefferson’s religion separation bill in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The Rebel Virginia House of Delegates charged a Committee of Revisors with reforming Virginia’s laws to conform with revolutionary goals and republican principles (p. 81). Midway between Alexandria and Richmond on the banks of the Rappahannock River, Fredericksburg was a convenient meeting place for Jefferson and four other Committee of Revisors members. The quintet convened for five days, January 13-17, 1777.

Jefferson produced “Bill No. 82: A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom” during the committee meeting. A copy of the bill is included in the book for readers interested in Jefferson’s original draft and the minor legislative changes. Much to Jefferson’s dismay, wartime exigencies and politics tabled the bill. James Madison resurrected the religious freedom bill in 1786, which the legislature passed by a large margin of sixty to twenty-seven. Jefferson did not personally witness the fruits of his labor as he, during this period, served as an American envoy to France.

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Aubrecht points out that Jefferson’s contemporaries regarded Fredericksburg as the “City of Churches,” an appropriate venue to consider religious practices (p. 24). His research ascertains that the Declaration of Independence author drafted the religious freedom bill in Weeden’s Tavern, temporarily known as Smith’s Tavern while George Weedon was away serving in the Continental Army. The author uncovered many details of Jefferson’s Fredericksburg stay, including visits to a barber, weaver, watchmaker, and gunnery (p. 41). Jefferson paid Smith’s Tavern five pounds and nine shillings for his room and board.

Modern-day Fredericksburg residents recognize the importance of Jefferson’s 1777 visit and the momentous authorship of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. First, historically-minded citizens founded the Thomas Jefferson Institute for the Study of Religious Freedom. The institute conducts an annual Religious Freedom Day celebration started in America’s Bicentennial year. Over the years, the celebration has gained stature, and since 1993, the US President has issued a commemorative presidential proclamation.

Further, historically-minded residents have placed numerous historical markers and monuments to aid visitors’ understanding of Jefferson’s actions in Fredericksburg. The city erected a Religious Freedom Monument in 1932. Religious leaders from sixteen denominations convened in Fredericksburg to commemorate the statue. Later, city officials moved the statue to Washington Street within the historic district. In addition, numerous table markers denote historic locations and provide visitors with information.

Lastly, the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg sponsors an annual “Jefferson Lecture on Religious Freedom.” Shannon LaNier, a sixth-great-grandson of Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, delivered the 2022 lecture. The author makes a strong case that visiting “the City of Churches” will further enhance one’s understanding of Jefferson’s views on religious freedom.

Aubrecht concludes, “Jefferson’s time in Fredericksburg in 1777 resulted in one of the most significant documents ever put forth in the annals of this country’s history” (p. 133). Indeed, Jefferson would agree, placing his religious freedom statute on par with the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson’s work fundamentally changed the colonial and Early American connections between organized religions and American governments. However, the relationship between spiritual matters and the state remains a contested issue, so Michael Aubrecht’s book is highly relevant in today’s political discourse.

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