Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

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The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom ( German  Virginia Religious Freedom Act ) is a state law on religious freedom in the former colony of Virginia (now the US state of Virginia ) and was written in 1777 by Thomas Jefferson . First rejected by the Virginia General Assembly in 1779 , it became law in 1786 - with an amended preamble - at the instigation of James Madison .

The law states that

  • no one may be forced to participate in religious acts or pay church tax;
  • everyone is allowed to profess their faith and to campaign for it with arguments; and
  • no one may be favored or disadvantaged by the state based on their commitment

For Jefferson and Madison, among other things, it was important that followers of the dominant religious denomination could freely decide to what extent they should financially support their religious community.

The law was celebrated by German enlighteners ; the first German translation appeared as early as 1789. It influenced many western countries. Paul Nolte calls it "the most famous declaration of religious freedom to date"

Jefferson's tomb

Jefferson decreed that only three of his accomplishments should be mentioned on his tomb: the United States Declaration of Independence , Religious Freedom Act, and the University of Virginia . Excerpts from this law are engraved in the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC .

Text output

German translation of the law

Eugene R. Sheridan: Texts on "Religion and Republicanism in Thomas Jefferson's Thought" . In: Hartmut Wasser (Ed.): Thomas Jefferson: Historical significance and political topicality . For the 250th birthday of the "sage of Monticello". Schöningh, Paderborn 1995, ISBN 3-506-79633-X , p. 169-170 ( Digi20 [accessed November 2, 2015]).

Bill of June 18, 1779 with original preamble (English)

82. A bill for establishing religious freedom. In: Founders Online: Jefferson papers. National Historical Publications & Records Commission, accessed November 2, 2015 .

literature

  • Thomas E. Buckley: Establishing religious freedom . Jefferson's statute in Virginia. University of Virginia Press, Charlottesville 2013, ISBN 978-0-8139-3503-4 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed November 2, 2015]).
  • Michael I. Meyerson: Endowed by our creator . The birth of religious freedom in America. Yale University Press, New Haven (Connecticut) 2012, ISBN 978-0-300-16632-3 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed November 2, 2015]).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Herbert Schambeck , Helmut Widder and Marcus Bergmann (eds.): Documents on the history of the United States of America . Duncker & Humblot , Berlin 1993, ISBN 3-428-07584-6 , pp. 145-148 .
  2. ^ Gerhard Besier : The First of our Liberties ... a Luster to our Country . Understanding Religious Freedom in the United States of America. In: Religious Freedom and Conformism . About minorities and the power of the majority. Lit, Münster 2004, ISBN 3-8258-7654-3 , pp. 27 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed November 5, 2015]).
  3. ↑ a b c Paul Nolte : What is democracy? History and present. CH Beck, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-406-63028-6 , p. 145 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed November 6, 2015]).
  4. ^ Act for establishing religious freedom. In: Online Classroom. Library of Virginia, accessed November 2, 2015 .
  5. ^ Thomas E. Buckley: Establishing religious freedom . Jefferson's statute in Virginia. University of Virginia Press, Charlottesville 2013, ISBN 978-0-8139-3503-4 , pp. 82 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed November 2, 2015]).
  6. ↑ Michael I. Meyerson: Endowed by our creator . The birth of religious freedom in America. Yale University Press, New Haven (Connecticut) 2012, ISBN 978-0-300-16632-3 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed November 2, 2015]).
  7. ↑ Eugene R. Sheridan: Texts on the topic "Religion and Republicanism in Thomas Jefferson's Thought" . In: Hartmut Wasser (Ed.): Thomas Jefferson: Historical significance and political topicality . For the 250th birthday of the "sage of Monticello". Schöningh, Paderborn 1995, ISBN 3-506-79633-X , p. 169-170 ( Digi20 [accessed November 6, 2015]).
  8. ^ A b Robert M. O'Neill: Thomas Jefferson and the relationship between church and state . In: Hartmut Wasser (Ed.): Thomas Jefferson: Historical significance and political topicality . For the 250th birthday of the "sage of Monticello". Schöningh, Paderborn 1995, ISBN 3-506-79633-X , p. 143-152; see in particular p. 143 and 145 ( Digi20 [accessed November 6, 2015]).
  9. ↑ Volker Depkat: Applied Enlightenment? The world effect of the Enlightenment in colonial British North America and the USA. In: Wolfgang Hardtwig (Ed.): The Enlightenment and its world effect . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2011, ISBN 978-3-525-36423-9 , pp. 205–241 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed November 6, 2015]).
  10. ↑ Acts concerning the establishment of religious freedom, as it came about in the assembly in Virginia at the beginning of 1786 . In: Andreas Riem , Gottlob Nathanael Fischer (Hrsg.): Berlin Journal for Enlightenment . tape 2 . Kings Pr. Akad. Kunst- und Buchh., Berlin 1789, DNB  01535296X , p. 173–179 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed November 6, 2015]).
  11. ^ Edwin S. Gaustad: Sworn on the Altar of God . A Religious Biography of Thomas Jefferson. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing , Grand Rapids (Michigan) 1996, ISBN 0-8028-0156-0 , pp. 69 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  12. ↑ Ulrike Jordan: Religious freedom and educational reform in the thinking of Thomas Jefferson . From the Revisal of the Laws (1779) to the founding of the University of Virginia (1819). In: Norbert Finzsch , Hermann Wellenreuther (ed.): Liberalitas . Festschrift for Erich Angermann on his 65th birthday (=  transatlantic historical studies ). tape 1 . Steiner, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-515-05656-4 , pp. 389–400 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed November 6, 2015]).