
James Madison, fourth President of the United States. Gilbert Stuart, ca. 1828. Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsca-19166
Documents in Detail: James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance
James Madison authored a powerful defense of religious liberty while serving in the Virginia state government, arguing that there should be no tax collected to support any established – that is, state-supported – church or other religious group. Seen as one of the seminal discussions of the topic in American political thought and discourse, Madison’s multi-point argument expressed both the belief that the mind is free, and that no man’s conscience can be dictated by the state.
Focus Document
- Memorial and Remonstrance, James Madison, 1785
Complementary Documents
- Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVII: Religion, Thomas Jefferson, 1781
- Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, Thomas Jefferson, 1786
Scholars
- Dr. John Moser, Ashland University
- Dr. David Tucker, Ashland University
- Dr. Sarah Morgan Smith, Ashland University