Thomas Jefferson, Statute for Religious Freedom

"WE the General Assembly of Virginia do enact that no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."

Thomas Jefferson, Statute for Religious Freedom, 1779, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Julron P. Boyd, 1950

Read the text of Jefferson's Public Papers at the Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library


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