Hornets, Snakes, Baptists, and Presbyterians: Creating American Religious Freedom

Before the American Revolution, religious freedom in America was seriously limited. Most colonies had an established church, church taxes, and/or required tests for office or even voting. In Virginia, the largest, wealthiest and most populous colony, dissenters from Virginia’s established church, the Church of England, faced serious legal discrimination and persecution. After the Revolution, Virginia adopted Thomas Jefferson’s “Statute for Establishing Religious Freedom,” providing the most eloquent and fullest protection for religious liberty. Jefferson’s Statute later provided a foundation for the First Amendment. Dr. Ragosta will discuss the relatively unknown role of Virginia’s religious dissenters, primarily evangelical Baptist and Presbyterian, in both winning the American Revolution and in establishing religious liberty, including a strict separation of church and state.