Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

Jefferson’s Legacy of Freedom for the Old Dominion Prior to his death Thomas Jefferson left behind specific instructions for the obelisk monument that was to mark his grave. He requested the following epitaph: Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom and Father of the University of Virginia. These contributions were in his words the “testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered.” It is curious that with all his contributions he chose to note his authorship of a minor state law. Jefferson crafted this statute, not in Philadelphia or one of the other busy cities of the day, but while staying in a small Virginia town on the Rappahannock River named Fredericksburg. /Local historian Michael Aubrecht tells the tale of the creation of this remarkable document and the impact it continues to have.

Michael Aubrecht is an experienced author, historian and producer with a genuine passion for preserving and presenting the past through film and the written word. Michael has written multiple books, including Historic Churches of Fredericksburg: Houses of the Holy and The Civil War in Spotsylvania: Confederate Campfires at the Crossroads. He has published many articles for print and online magazines, including Patriots of the American Revolution and Emerging Civil War. Michael cowrote and produced the documentary The Angel of Marye’s Heights, hosts the YouTube series The Naked Historian and manages the Facebook page “Today’s History Lesson.”