Thomas Jefferson
Virginian statesman who drafted the bill for establishing religious freedom reported in 1779 and, as president in 1802, described the First Amendment as a wall of separation between church and state.
Jefferson’s draft of a bill for establishing religious freedom in Virginia is dated 1779 in the edition of his papers (Virginia, Act for Establishing Religious Freedom, Jefferson’s draft, Bill no. 82 (1779)). James Madison reported its passage to him by letter in January 1786 (Madison to Jefferson, 22 January 1786, para. beginning ‘Our Assembly last night’). On 1 March 1792 he signed at Philadelphia the circular that sent the ratified amendments to the Constitution to the governors of the states (Jefferson, Circular to the Governors, 1 March 1792).
In 1801 the Baptists of Danbury, Connecticut, addressed him as President of the United States (Danbury Baptist Association, Address to Jefferson (October 1801), heading and para. 1). His reply of 1 January 1802 says that religion lies solely between a man and his God and that the First Amendment built “a wall of separation between Church & State” (Jefferson, Letter to the Danbury Baptists, 1 January 1802, para. 2). See Religious Freedom in the United States.
In the timeline
- 1786 to 1791, firm dateReligious Freedom in the United States
In January 1786 Virginia enacts Jefferson’s statute that no one shall be compelled to support any worship or suffer for his religious opinions. The federal Constitution bars religious tests, and the First Amendment, ratified in 1791, forbids Congress to establish a religion.
Primary sources
Letter to Thomas Jefferson, 22 January 1786
- Madison to Jefferson, 22 January 1786, para. beginning ‘Our Assembly last night’founders.archives.gov
Circular to the Governors of the States, 1 March 1792
- Jefferson, Circular to the Governors, 1 March 1792founders.archives.gov